Dailies 2013, Issue 7
Indian Institute Of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore
March 19, 2013
Special needs children face discrimination in state run schools.
Female infanticide rate on the rise, claims Health Ministry.
Government schools freeze faculty recruitment.
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Corrupt and brutal Karnataka’s cops have acquired the unwanted reputation of being corrupt and serial abusers of human rights when dealing with crime in the state. By Rohan D. Premkumar
Around 139 human rights violations and 100 cases of corruption have been documented against the Karnataka police. The corruption cases which were filed by the Lokayukta police of Karnataka include charges against top cops in the state, including Police Inspectors, an Additional Superintendent of Police and a former Deputy Inspector General of Police. Narayan Gowda, an IPS officer and a former DGP, received a promotion in 2011 despite being implicated in a disproportionate assets case two years earlier. Another top cop, Kumar Karning, whose home was raided in 2008 was found in possession of Rs. 1 crore in assets, and was later reinstated by the government. Almost 75 percent of police officers charged with crimes have been reinstated within a year of the charges being filed against them. The city of Bangalore has the highest incidence of corruption cases, accounting for a third of the total number of cases filed against policemen in the last 12 years. Most of the officials have been accused of possess-
ing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The cases of human rights abuses were documented by the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), a
been registered since 2000. Custodial deaths and extrajudicial killings also constitute a tenth of the complaints filed against the police, according to the report. The figures are part of a nationwide study on the
A. Babu, a victim of police brutality says he was wrongly accused of theft.
Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) which monitors human rights violations, including torture, rape, sexual assault, custodial deaths, extrajudicial killings, police violence and illegal detention. According to statistics released by the organization, there have been more than 40 instances of illegal detention, often resulting in the torture of the individual detained, while over 20 cases of sexual assault have also
frequency of police excess across Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. “Nationwide, the number of human rights violations perpetrated by police forces could be as high as 700 each year,” said R. Manohar, the Programme Head for SICHREM in Bangalore.
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A violent history of authority
When Naveen and his friend were travelling near BEL, Bangalore, they were suddenly
stopped by two police constables and beaten up. They demanded Rs. 5,000 from the duo for their release. While his friend was held in custody, Naveen was asked to go home and get the money. A few days later, Naveen’s two other friends were also held in custody at the same spot.
In Seshadripuram, one man was illegally detained and tortured by the police.
A raid conducted by SICHREM found two others that had been tortured, while another who was detained was made to sit nude in the police station. A complaint has been filed against the Police Inspector with the State Human Rights Commission and action is being taken against the officers.
Kumar, who was wanted by police in UP and Maharashtra was supposed to have been in police custody, but is said to have escaped and was on his way to the airport when police allegedly shot and killed him in an encounter. To In 2010, Ajith Kumar, an MBA graduate was date however, there is no hisgunned down by police tory of a case ever being filed in Huvinannyakanahali. against him.
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The Daily Observer| March 19, 2013
Cops clamp down on criminal gang By Krishnaprasad S
A notorious wanted criminal and his henchmen were arrested today after Central Crime Branch officers sprung a trap. CCB police, acting on intelligence, arrested notorious rowdy sheeter Vijaykumar alias Kavala and his aides without a single shot being fired. They surprised the gang as they plotted a murder and dacoit conspiracy against rival gang leaders Tirukumar alias Kutti and Tirumaran alias Raja, according to a spokesman. The four arrested were Vijaykumar, 43, Rakesh, 28, Gagan Sharma, 31 and 23-year-old Shyamprakas. A case was registered at Peenya Police Station. Vijaykumar and his aides on 3rd of March met near a post office in Dasarahalli in Peenya Police station limits and were planning a murder and dacoit conspiracy against their rival gang leaders, according to police. The CCB cops claim they discovered the plot via sources laid a trap.
They also recovered a Maruthi Ritz car, Honda City Car, five weapons and five mobile phones. Police say Vijaykumar and his henchmen threatened
land owners in Sarjapura and Anekal, extorted money and threatened to kill them. The group was also involved in many of the land mafia cases in and around
Sarjapur, Anekal and other parts of Bangalore, they said. Vijaykumar was also wanted by Adugodi, Madiwala, Anekal, J P Nagar,
Ramamurthynagar and Cottonpet police in cases of murder, use of lethal weapons to harm public, dacoit, threatening people and fraud cases. Rakesh, alias Jackie, who is in the rowdy sheeter list of High Grounds police station was wanted by JP Nagar, Micolayout and Chitradurga town police station in cases like murder, attempt to murder, threatening life of public and 13 other cases. Gagansharma alias Gagan was wanted by High Grounds, Jayanagar, JP Nagar and Chitradurga police stations in cases like murder, attempt to murder and five other cases. Shyamprakash was wanted by the Chitradurga police in connection to a case of attempt to murder. “The operation was successful and the gang was trapped in a plot according to our plans. These people were wanted by police all over the state. They were also involved in cases like Land Mafia, gambling, murder and use of lethal weapons in public space”, said a police officer investigating the case.
Corrupt and brutal... >>>>> Continued from PAGE 1 “Both the army and the police have unfettered powers. And most of the time it is innocent Dalits, women, children and minorities that are the victims of torture,” Manohar added. Human rights violations are also very common in Bangalore. In 2008, a 19 year-old,
Arun Kumar, tried to commit suicide after a policeman, Mahadevaiah, physically assaulted him numerous times. Arun Kumar has been on life support ever since. Mahadevaiah was suspended for a few months and later reinstated. Babu A, a victim of police violence in Bangalore three years ago, says he was
picked up on charges of theft and brutally assaulted by members of the Marikuppam Police Station. “I was severely beaten by three policemen — Arsappa, Gopinath and Vishwanath. My hands and legs were severely swollen from the beatings I received from the police,” he added. Rakshitha, a volunteer with an NGO which works
to safeguard the rights of members of the transgender community, said that sexual minorities are often the greatest targets of sexual violence by police authorities. “Transgenders and other sexual minorities are targeted regularly. But often, their voices are not heard as they have nowhere else to turn to and tell their stories,” she
said. The Joint Commissioner of Bangalore police, B. Dayanand, who himself faces charges of ordering his gunman to open fire upon civilians in 2007, resulting in the death of two people, refused to comment on the allegations of torture and corruption brought against the Karnataka police department.
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March 19, 2013| The Daily Observer
Cellphones continue to be smuggled into jail premises By Nikita Malusare
By Aheli Raychaudari
Credits: Nikita Malusare
INMATES are using smuggled cell phones to call home and one even plotted a gangland hit from his cell, according to worried advocates. Prisoners are using the phones routinely despite a seven crore allocation last September to install signal jammers in all of the state’s prisons. While the equipment has been purchased to block cell phone signals, they have yet to be switched on. Neena Khan, wife of Nasserudin Khan (names changed for security reasons) who has been arrested and is awaiting trial for the past three months, said, “Sometimes, when my husband wants to call for any kind of emergency or is missing home, the prisoners who are with him in the jail lend him a cell phone to call. In return, we have to recharge their phones.” Bangalore Central Jail operates under the guidelines of Karnataka Prison Rules 1947 and Bortsal School Rules 1969. A veteran, working as criminal lawyer for more than two decades, K.Diwakar said, “These rules and regulations are old and only suit the ancient times, when there were no mobile phones. Now the rules need to be tightened.” In the communications section of Karnataka Prison Rules 1947 no mention is made of mobile phones. It only states that the prisoners would be given fixed line telephone facilities inside the jail. On Sept 13, 2012 Narayanswamy, the state Prison Minister announced Rs.seven crores for installation of 3G cell phone jammers in its four central jails of Karnataka, viz. Bellary, Belgaum, Mysore and Bangalore Central Jail. He said that cell phone jammers were to be imported from Bulgaria and the responsibility of implementation of
House thefts haunt residents in city
Bangalore Central jail at Parappana Agraharais overcrowded with 4,083 prisoners as against its capacity of 2,022.
jammers was handed over to the Electrical Company India Limited. A veteran criminal advocate who has been the advocate of chief minister, K. Diwakar said: “All of them vouch that the cell phones should not be used in the jail but nobody keeps an eye whether the systems or technologies installed are working to the fullest or not.” He claimed that in the Rudramoorthy conspiracy murder case police themselves in the remand report accepted the murder was plotted from inside the jail with the use of a cell phone. “Isn’t it a shame on the part of police who even accept it? “This shows how our government works. “Illegal activities are done under the nose but nobody takes a strict action against them. This reflects the inefficiency of the department,” Mr. Diwakar added. “First and foremost the government needs to reform all its rules and regualtions. It needs to have a separate department to discipline the forces.” Criminal Lawyer, A.K. Naik, who has been a lawyer for past decade, asked: “How much time does it take to install the jammers? “Terrorist activites are on the rise in
each and every state.” When asked about installation of the jammers in Banaglore Central jail, Jail Superintendent, Kishor Kumar, was very reluctant to talk and only said: “The work in under process, it will get over soon.” Rafiq Shaikh,39, runs a telecommunications business and provides cell phone jammers to leading companies like Wipro. He said, “Setting up a jammer is a matter of few days till the order arrives and once it is in your hand , you just need to switch it on, it works on the principle of Wi-Fi.” K.N. Murthy, a criminal lawyer for 16 years said, “The law makers and the politicians themselves don’t want the jammers to be implemented. It is just because of the opposition parties crying foul that they have initiated the process.” Citing the recent statement made by High Court judge Shreedhar Rao over the rise in robbery in Bangalore due to passive nature of Bangalore police, Mr. Murthy said, “Police force lacks implementation of rules. They have failed themselves in doing their jobs.” The ADGP, prisons, refused to comment.
House-breaking and thefts are on a steady increase for the past three years. There are two kinds of house thefts that are listed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)- Day thefts and Night Theft. House thefts that occur during the day are listed under the Sections of 454 and 380 of the IPC. The thefts and break-ins that occur at night are listed under the Section 457 and 380. There is a separate section listed for servants indulging in house thefts. This falls under the Section 381. In 2009, there was only one case that occurred during the day that was solved. But, there were 26 cases that occurred at night of which 16 were solved. There were three cases of servant theft that were solved. In 2010, there were five cases daylight house thefts of which four cases were solved. But, there were nine cases of which three were solved. Constable Maruti Pawar of Wilson Garden police station said, “Lack of proof leads to cases being dropped.” At times there are gangmembers who disguise themselves as servants and infiltrate the house and successfully carry out the thefts. Most of the cases are dropped because the miscreants are smart enough not to leave any proof. However if an individual commits the crime for the first time, he gets easily caught. In 2011, the number dropped to one case during the day and three cases at night in Siddhapur. Constable Pawar added, “As jurisdiction is small, crime rate is low and is traced easily.”
The Daily Observer| March 19, 2013
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Preventive discrimination is a term that is used extensively in the Indian Constitution and it’s a loaded one. The two words speak volumes about the reality of the situation in India. On one hand they portray that there is discrimination. On the other, there is categorization of individuals to prevent them from being discriminated against. And this is adopted by both private and government schools when a special child seeks admission. According to the Right to Education Act, three percent of the seats for admission to schools have been reserved for children with multiple disabilities. The rule, even though it’s being implemented in the schools, does not seem to be serving its purpose-to prevent discrimination of kids with special needs from other children. Children with learning disabilities are teased and taunted by their classmates while they are pushed aside by the teachers when the time comes for them to help the children. That’s the case for Sakshi Kumar, a dyslexic child with a few abnormalities in body growth. Now a fifteen-year old, Sakshi is doing his ninth grade at Aruna Chetana, a NGO committed to the education and rehabilitation of children with multiple disabilities, situated at Malleshwaram. A cheerful and talented individual in drawing and sketching,
Reservation for children with special needs in government schools proves useless Sakshi shared his experience when he was first given admission in a government school in Bangalore. “I remember I was five years old, when my parents put me in a government school close to our house. I used to go
activities together,” he remembers. Sakshi’s parents decided that the more their child went to the school, the more introverted, depressed and silent he became. Sakshi said his parents then shifted him to Aruna Chetana,
individual?,” continues Sakshi. He is now a happy student. The principal, Ms Gayathri Panju, said the main reason for this kind of attitude towards such children is because the teachers at regular schools are not trained
Credits: Urmi Sengupta
By Hansa V
Children with special needs do not prefer going to regular schools for the fear of discrimination
back home crying and depressed because I was never allowed to be a part of any of the activities because my teacher thought I was not capable of being a normal student. “She used to make me sit alone, at a separate desk in the far corner of the room, while all the other students used to sit and do the regular activities like playing, drawing, reading- all
where he has been studying since his third grade. “I am happy here. I can do whatever I want and love to do, without being pushed aside or taunted or even neglected like I was in my previous school. Who would want to go to a school where you are treated as an alien when there are schools that actually help you move forward and become a stronger
to handle children with special needs. She said: “When this institution was established, it was just me and two other teachers, who were handling the full organization. We had ten kids back then. Now we are a set of 32 teachers, specially trained to teach children with special needs and I am proud to tell that we have about 200 students now.
“Children with learning disabilities need more attentionthey seek more care, more patient listening and a lot of love; they detest being sympathized. They feel worse when people look down on them rather than including them in the regular routines of life.” She says that the whole three percent reservation thing is a total blow-off for the government. The government, if it really wants no discrimination among kids, should not be giving out any such reservations at all. “These children are no less in academics than the rest, it is just that they seek more attention and different methods of training as it take time for them to grasp and understand what is being told to them. “There are already about 40 students in each class in regular schools and the teacher appointed for each class has a handful. They are unable to provide the necessary attention to these kids and in an unintended motive; they automatically choose to omit these kids from the normal activities as it takes in more effort and time, which they lack.” What do these kids have stored in future for them is as much suspense and mystery as it is for the rest of us. But such reservations and policies are not going to help them move on.
RTE: A costly affair for the poor By Debanti Roy
The Right to Education Act was enforced to help poor children get better education free of cost. Is the reality really so? Nagasimha G Rao, Director, Child Rights Trust (CRT) and campaign coordinator for KCRO (Karnataka Child Rights Organization) believes that there is absolutely no need of 25% of reservation in private schools for children. The act says that the children have right to free and compulsory education but in reality education is not free of cost at all.
Parents have to pay for the uniform, shoes and for many other expenses. Mr. Rao said: “RTE means there is no admission fees but apart from it the students have to pay all other costs involved— then what is the meaning of free education? “The school asks for income slip and caste certificate of parents for the admission of the children but when the parents produce it, they reject it by saying it’s fake.” Mr. Shiva, father of young Rakesh, has already paid Rs. 12 thousand for uniform and other charges to the school for his son.
He earns only three thousand a month and finds himself in a miserable condition to continue the education of his child. “Parents are exempted only from paying the admission fees. “After the admission, the school keeps charging the parents for various other needs— for excursions, uniforms, horse-riding classes and so many in the list. “The children under RTE obviously cannot afford such trips,” says Rao. “The children go into depressions due to such bias in schools. “They are not allowed to bring
home cooked food from school and are made to sit separately from the rest of the students. “They are neglected and are discriminated badly and are termed as sewage and dirty water,” adds Mr. Rao. Mr. Rao believes that the government should improve the quality of teaching and infrastructure in government schools than enforcing such laws. If government improves the quality of education in India, then we can expect a positive change in the educational system.
The Daily Observer| March 19, 2013
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Doctor calls for action against female infanticides
Corruption and manipulation exist even at the educational level, putting students’ careers at stake
Students left in limbo after incorrect evaluation By Vintu Augustine
ANJALI, a normally cheerful and jovial girl, looked so depressed and gloomy when I met her at the hostel entrance of the college where she is a second year BBM student. Asked about the reason for her grief she said that she failed her accountancy exam despite having done well. “It was something that I never expected and it is the first time ever that I fail in an exam,” said Anjali (name changed) with tearful eyes. “I cried the whole night yesterday not knowing what to do.” The third semester BBM results of Bangalore University (BU), announced last week, have wreaked havoc in the lives of students. The accountancy results have been a Tsunami on their shores. Who is responsible? Who is to blame? BU has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years, for delays in conducting exams, leakage of question papers and bribing of various kinds. And this time around, it is about unwarrantable and unjustifiable failures in various degree level exams. The quality of education in India suffers due to rampant corruption within the system. Students are bewildered and depressed over the results when met with failures in spite of having done well in the exams. “It is your fault that you have failed. Why didn’t you study well? My parents blamed me for the failures. But I know for sure that I had studied and written the exam well. I was expecting a sixty percent,” said Anjali, who has scored above 60 percent for all the other subjects. Poor parents back home, who struggle hard to meet the expenses of their children’s education, having to pay huge cash in terms of college fee, accommodation and food expenses, can only wonder what went wrong. What else can they do other than blame their children? They send their children to the so-called good urban colleges with latest modern facili-
ties expecting good results and jobs leading them to a secure and happy life, unaware of the deep rooted corruption and manipulation at various levels of the system. It is possible to digest the matter if it had happened only with one or even a few, but when 35 out of 44 students appeared from a single college fail for a particular subject, it is unjustifiable. And it has happened not only with just one college but several of them. “I should have been unspoken if it were to happen with a few, but there are so many failures for the same subject with meager marks below 10. And those students failed in accountancy have scored first class marks for other subjects,” said Veeraj Concessao, the Principal of a certain college under BU. “It reflects the poor evaluation system of the university. There needs to be a system within the examination department to crosscheck the results that such grave mistakes do not happen.” Poor students like Anjali are left with no option of applying for re-evaluation either as they have to pay Rs. 600 extra for that. “Even if we apply for re-evaluation, they would give us only the same marks,” said Jason, another student. “Some of the teachers rely on their moods while checking the papers that many undeserving students score high and deserving ones fail. Some other teachers fail the students purposely that they can earn extra through re-evaluation,” said Prajwal, a failed student. Asked about the massive failures, Mr. Dev Raj, an officer in the exam results section, said, “Sometimes it happens that many a student fail from a single college in a particular subject. We are yet to analyze the results and find out what has gone wrong. If anything has gone wrong with evaluation, we will rectify it. It will take a month’s time to prepare the percent data” Whatever be the action taken by the university, the students are left in the lurch to appear for two semester exams at a time next year.
A DOCTOR has called for tougher action against those who murder their female babies in Bangalore. Dr Kailash Nath P, in charge of the Mother and Infant Welfare Cell at the city’s Victoria Hospital, said the “punishment should set an example” as it emerged 74 cases of female infanticide were registered in Bangalore last year. Victoria hospital in Bangalore was the scene of the most recent recorded murder with the death of a female infant last month. The baby girl’s body had been dumped in bushes. Hospital police are investigating the case. Three other cases have been registered in recent
The dead body is being stored in the mortuary while police investigate. Dr Nath said: “The miscreants should be brought to light and the punishment should set an example in front of the society since the society itself is so unwilling to change its perceptions about girl child.” Under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code those convicted of the offence face a life sentence but policing of the issue is poor. The Karnataka State Department of Health and Family Welfare identified 74 cases of female infanticide in Bangalore alone last year. “It is extremely unpleasant that the country is still witnessing female infanti-
Credits: Deepu Aby
Credits: Satyajith G D
By Deepu Aby Varghese
Dead body of a female infant was found in the Victoria Hospital premisis last month.
months. Though the DNA of the dead infants was sent to the laboratory for analysis, the culprits have yet to be identified. The three-day-old baby girl was found behind bushes by cleaning staff at Victoria Hospital.
cide in spite of all possible awareness events conducted through all possible means. “The prevailing taboo on the girl child is a reflection of under-development,” said Dr. Lokesh Patil, vice-chairman of Health and Family Welfare Department.
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The Daily Observer| March 19, 2013
Generate jobs to empower the poor
Government scales down teacher recruitments
Credits: Sneha Banerjee
By Sneha Banerjee
The government has decided to fill only 4,000 teaching jobs in government schools in spite of there being a shortage of 11,635 teachers in Karnataka. According to statistics obtained by a Right to Information (RTI) Act, there are 11,635 vacant faculty positions in government schools in Karnataka. Only 4000 recruitment orders have been released in 2012. This includes both primary and secondary levels of education. Four faculty positions have been vacant at
She also felt that it has become very difficult to recruit teachers for subjects like English, Arts and Craft and Hindi. “We have guest faculty for teaching the students Hindi and she visits our school twice a week as she is also employed in another school.” On the contrary, members of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Board, India’s flagship program to ensure overall education; quoted several reasons for the vacancies of teaching positions at government schools. Students opting for private and English medium education, teachers opting for other jobs and retirements are the circumstances under which the teachers in government
By Sneha Banerjee
MAKING rural Indians financially literate will help drive social change and profits, according to a think tank investment firm. Philanthropic investment firm, Omdiyar Network is investing with IMetric Technology Services to promote employment and education in rural areas of India. IMetric has actively been involved in employing the rural population of north-east states in India. They have employed 15,000 people through one of their projects inWest Bengal. Ms.Radha Basu, Chief Executive Officer of IMetric, believes in the strategy that employment in web related services is not restricted to residents of metro cities in India. Ms.Basu believed that 40% of Indians who live Below the Poverty Line (BPL) need to be educated with the right technical and communication skills to get employed. She said generating employment would strengthen the confidence of the rural population and prevent them from migrating to cities. Commenting on the social constraints that play an important part in such ventures, Ms.Basu said: “One needs to respect the community one is dealing with and try to understand their beliefs and social ambiguities.” Ms. Basu mentioned her experience with the conser-
vative population she once had to deal with in West Bengal, adding: “Change in social attitude comes when the youth step out of their houses to a work based environment.” She believed that an active work life can help in developing inner confidence and belief. Ms.Basu also stressed the importance of local NGOs that played an important project in introducing her to the nuances of the local community. Professor Matt Bannick from Harvard University is a part of the advisory committee of Omdiyar Network. Quoting some important points from his thesis on Impact Investing, he explained that people have a false notion that financial returns and social impact cannot go hand in hand. On the contrary he explained that the right investment can actually bring about profitable returns from a social impact generating venture. Talking about the failure of the micro-finance system in Andhra Pradesh, Mr.Bannick insisted that investors should take into consideration the political dynamics of the territory they are operating in. He also said that political and social issues existed in countries like the United States of America as well but the challenge is to co-ordinate with existing governments to execute their projects.
File Photo
Omdiyar Network to join hands with IMetric Tech. to drive social change
Government schools are falling short of English and Kannada teachers. the Government High School in Malleswaram since July 2012. Ms. S.Saroja S., one of the faculty members with the school told the Observer that an English professor was recruited by the school in January 2013 and the school is still in need of their principal. The previous principal had retired from the institution on July 2012. The Government Higher Secondary School in Gollahali has had four teaching faculty vacancies since July 2012. Commenting on this scenario the Principal, Ms. A.T.Madura, said: “The government knows about vacancies in each and every school.”
schools opt to quit their jobs. Around 795 staff positions were vacant in high school level in urban Bangalore alone. Mr. M. Chandrashekhar, Superintendent of High School Department, said: “There isn’t much of a problem, shortage of staff in one school is compensated by transferring staff from schools where there is an excess of staff members.” The current teacher to student ratio maintained by the Karnataka Education Board is 1:30. Most of the schools complained that there was more demand of individual subject teachers such as English, Art and Craft and Hindi.
The Observer Team: Editor: Krishnaprasad S Sub-Editor: Satyajith GD Page Editors: Hansa V
Sneha Banerjee Rohan Prem Shreya Mukherjee Urmi Sengupta Proof Readers: Aheli Raychaudhuri Kakoli Mukherjee
Priyanka Roy Correspondents: Deepu Aby Varghese Nikita Malusare Email: editor@iijnm.org