DOCSLIB.ORG

RESEARCH JOURNAL Department of Political Science, the Assam Valley School Winter Semester, 2020-21, Volume 2

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
RESEARCH JOURNAL Department of Political Science, the Assam Valley School Winter Semester, 2020-21, Volume 2 RESEARCH JOURNAL Department of Political Science, The Assam Valley School Winter Semester, 2020-21, Volume 2 Volume 2 THIINK TANK THINK TANK Department of Political Science Winter Semester, 2020-21, Volume 2 Chief Patron: The Headmaster, The Assam Valley This issue is dedicated to School Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Teacher Editor: Mr. Thajeb Ali Hazarika Advisor: Mr. V.P. Rao, Ms. Ishita Malhotra Mr. V. P. Rao Ms. Ishita Malhotra Contributors: Aryan Buragohain, Anam Aviva Ahmed, Raseen Mohsina Shah, Tanisha Bhadra, Anushcka This edition of the Think Tank recalls Joshi, Ojas Krish Venkatesh Ayapilla, Anoushka S. with humility and immense gratitude the Rabha, Naviya Chamariya, Anuja Barooah, Asmita political sagacity, foresight and wisdom of Kakati, Neha Swabnam, Shrabona Borthakur, Parthiv the framers of our Constitution, indeed Gargo the Cornerstone of a Nation. Their vision of a free, democratic, secular and equal Concept, Design and Layout: Anushcka Joshi India accommodating the spirit of cultural syncretism, respect and dignity should Publisher: The Assam Valley School, P. O. Balipara, be a source of inspiration for every right Assam-784101. thinking Indian to work selflessly and with ignited zeal to build an all-inclusive The views expressed in the articles are the authors’ own India where the spirit of empathy, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Assam Valley cooperation, compassion, rational and School. scientific thinking triumphs over narrow and myopic parochial construct. 2 QUILL STROKES “Let the truth be told.” he interplay and dynamics can hold no meaning.The agitation is not of interest articulation and by a lumpen section of the peasants versus aggregation provide a fascinating the government of the day which wants to analysis of how a democracy usher in a progressive measure to unshackle Tworks. It is inevitable that in the process the agricultural economy . It is bound to of legislation, there are bound to be confuse the layman caught in the crossfire contradictory pressures. The impact of with the hope for food on his plate every growing economic forces since the 1990s indicated the day. Conviction is at the core of one’s own existence. retreat of the State from key domains. Deregulation After ten rounds of parleys, the issue is yet to be versus Protectionism discourse held sway during the resolved. The farmers are stuck with their one point period when the global economy itself was undergoing agenda of total repeal and the government offering a sweeping transformation. The impact of demand and leeway by putting the laws on hold for 18 months supply basic to economics still remains an elemental failed to convince the agitators. Tractors are to be on driving force. The trinity of Globalization, Liberalization display at the Outer Ring Road at Delhi even as the and Privatization came to be firmly entrenched even martial might and cultural splendor of India will be on as giant State backed entities collapsed under the sheer display today. Laws need prior consultation, a sense of weight of inefficiency, red-tapism and corruption reassurance. The narrative of these laws as an unwanted and the mighty erstwhile USSR had to resort to the gift for the farmers versus it is either my way or the biggest ever garage sale in history of its State sponsored highway has not helped ease the situation. units to feed the hungry population. Deregulation of the agricultural sector is often diced with a fair slice With better sense yet to prevail and the dawn of reason of dissent as protectionism is withdrawn. After the nowhere in sight, the one fundamental question left first flush of success with the Green Revolution, this unanswered is if both sides are equally right as they sector should have moved ahead. As things stand now, claim to be, who will have the moral courage to accept the three farm laws versus the agitating farmers, the what is wrong? A seven decade old republic will surely standoff does not augur well for both sides. Jai Jawan, provide the answer in the future where the truth shall Jai Kisan was the clarion call of the 70s to change the be told without any frills in black face of the Indian economy, but right now and white. Till such things have come down to a situation where time, the dynamics will the apex court had to step in to put the laws play on. on hold. The obdurate stand with solidarity being displayed by a number of affiliated groups for both sides has one message going Thajeb Ali Hazarika out that each side is right. This is how a manufactured right dominates leading to a situation where the course of negotiations 3 ARYAN BURAGOHAIN CLASS 11 HUMANITIES 3 CASES AND 3 JUDGEMENTS [Freedom of speech guaranteed under PartIII of the Constitution is critically evaluated by Aryan in the light of three recent cases involving three journalists of the electronic media and the judgment by the apex court] CONTENTS- 1.Fundamental Rights provision under Freedom of The freedom of speech is regarded as the first condition Speech and Expression of liberty. Freedom of Speech and expression means the 2.Restrictions right to express one’s own convictions and opinions 3.Incident freely by words of mouth, writing, printing, pictures or 4.Cases Filed any other mode. In modern time it is widely accepted 5.Judgement by the Supreme Court that the right to freedom of speech is the essence of free 6.Implications for the future society and it must be safeguarded at all time. The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of Article 19: The freedom of Speech and words in an open forum. Liberty to express opinions and expression ideas without hindrance, and especially without fear of punishment plays significant role in the development of that particular society and ultimately for that state. reedom of speech, considered the basic It is one of the most important fundamental liberties freedom by most philosophical thinkers, guaranteed against state suppression or regulation. consists of several facets, including the right to express one’s opinion unhindered, unfettered In India, this right is granted by Article 19(1)(a).of the by the fear of retribution. It is one of the most basic F Constitution. It guarantees to all its citizens the right to elements for a healthy, open-minded democracy. It freedom of speech and expression. The law states that, allows people to freely participate in the social and “all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech political happenings of their country. The essence of and expression”. free speech is the ability to think and speak freely and to obtain information from others through publications and public discourse RESTRICTIONS AGAINTS without fear of retribution, restriction, or FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND repression by the government. It is through EXPRESSION free speech, people could come together to achieve political influence, to strengthen their The right to freedom of speech and expression morality, and to help others to become moral is not completely unchecked. Article 19 (2) and enlightened citizens. allows for reasonable restrictions to be imposed on against public order. Public order thus implies absence all fundamental rights, including that of freedom of of violence and an orderly state of affairs in which speech and expression. citizens can peacefully pursue their normal avocation It is necessary to place some restrictions on freedom of of life. Public order also includes public safety. Thus speech and expressions for the maintenance of social creating internal disorder or rebellion would affect order because no freedom can be absolute or completely public order and public safety. But mere criticism of unrestricted. government does not necessarily disturb public order. Accordingly, under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of 4) Decency or morality: The way to express something India, the State may make a law imposing “reasonable or to say something should be a decent one. It should restrictions” on the exercise of the right to freedom of not affect the morality of society adversely. Our speech and expression “in the interest of” the public constitution has taken care of this view and inserted on the following grounds:Clause (2) of Article 19 of decency and morality as a ground. The words ‘morality the Indian constitution contains the grounds on which or decency’ are words of wide meaning. Sections 292 restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression to 294 of the Indian Penal Code provide instances of can be imposed:- restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression in the interest of decency or morality. These sections 1) Security of State: Security of state is of vital prohibit the sale or distribution or exhibition of importance and a government must have the power to obscene words, etc. in public places. No fix standard impose a restriction on the activity affecting it. Under is laid down till now as to what is moral and indecent. Article 19(2) reasonable restrictions can be imposed on The standard of morality varies from time to time and freedom of speech and expression in the interest of the from place to place. security of State. 5) Contempt of Court: In a democratic country 2) Friendly relations with foreign states: In the Judiciary plays a very important role. In such situation, present global world, a country has to maintain a it becomes essential to respect such an institution and good and friendly relationship with other countries. its order. Thus, restriction on the freedom of speech and Something which has the potential to affect such expression can be imposed if it exceeds the reasonable relationship should be checked by the government. and fair limit and amounts to contempt of court.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Structural Violence Against Children in South Asia © Unicef Rosa 2018
    STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN SOUTH ASIA © UNICEF ROSA 2018 Cover Photo: Bangladesh, Jamalpur: Children and other community members watching an anti-child marriage drama performed by members of an Adolescent Club. © UNICEF/South Asia 2016/Bronstein The material in this report has been commissioned by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regional office in South Asia. UNICEF accepts no responsibility for errors. The designations in this work do not imply an opinion on the legal status of any country or territory, or of its authorities, or the delimitation of frontiers. Permission to copy, disseminate or otherwise use information from this publication is granted so long as appropriate acknowledgement is given. The suggested citation is: United Nations Children’s Fund, Structural Violence against Children in South Asia, UNICEF, Kathmandu, 2018. STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN SOUTH ASIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS UNICEF would like to acknowledge Parveen from the University of Sheffield, Drs. Taveeshi Gupta with Fiona Samuels Ramya Subrahmanian of Know Violence in for their work in developing this report. The Childhood, and Enakshi Ganguly Thukral report was prepared under the guidance of of HAQ (Centre for Child Rights India). Kendra Gregson with Sheeba Harma of the From UNICEF, staff members representing United Nations Children's Fund Regional the fields of child protection, gender Office in South Asia. and research, provided important inputs informed by specific South Asia country This report benefited from the contribution contexts, programming and current violence of a distinguished reference group: research. In particular, from UNICEF we Susan Bissell of the Global Partnership would like to thank: Ann Rosemary Arnott, to End Violence against Children, Ingrid Roshni Basu, Ramiz Behbudov, Sarah Fitzgerald of United Nations Population Coleman, Shreyasi Jha, Aniruddha Kulkarni, Fund Asia and the Pacific region, Shireen Mary Catherine Maternowska and Eri Jejeebhoy of the Population Council, Ali Mathers Suzuki.
    [Show full text]
  • Domestic Violence Against Women in India: a Case Study
    DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: A CASE STUDY ABSTRACT OF THE /^C THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF fioctor of $I)ilDs;opl)p •^ ^'^ IN (, POLITICAL SCIENCE BY RAHAT ZAMANI Under the Supervision of Dr. Rachana Kanshal DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ALJGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2009 ABSTRACT Today human beings live in the so-called civilized and democratic society that is based on the principles of equality and freedom for all. It automatically results into the non-acceptance of gender discrimination in principle. Therefore, various International Human Rights norms are in place that insist on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and advocate equal rights for women. Womens' year, women decade etc. are observed that led to the creation of mass awareness and sensitization of people about rights of women. Many steps are taken by the government in the form of various policies and programmes to promote the status of women and to realize women's rights. But despite all the efforts, the basic issue that threatens and endangers the very existence of women is the issue of domestic violence against women. John Stuart Mill put it into his book 'the subjection of women' in 1869 that, 'marriage should be thought of as a partnership of equals analogous to a business partnership and the family not a school of despotism but the real school of the virtues of freedom'. Contrary to this women who constitute about half of the world's population are the worst victim of violence and exploitation within home.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender Violence in India: a Prajnya Report 2020
    2020 1 GENDER VIOLENCE IN INDIA 2020 A Prajnya Report This report is an information initiative of the Gender Violence Research and Information Taskforce at Prajnya. This year’s report was prepared by Kausumi Saha whose work was supported by a donation in memory of R. Rajaram. It builds on previous reports authored over the years by: Kavitha Muralidharan, Zubeda Hamid, Shalini Umachandran, S. Shakthi, Divya Bhat, Titiksha Pandit, Mitha Nandagopalan, Radhika Bhalerao, Jhuma Sen and Suchaita Tenneti. We gratefully acknowledge the contribution and support of Gynelle Alves who has designed the report cover since 2009. © The Prajnya Trust 2020 2 CONTENTS GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................................. 3 ABOUT THIS REPORT ................................................................................................................................ 5 GENDER VIOLENCE IN INDIA: STATISTICAL TABLE .................................................................................... 6 1. THE POLITICS OF SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST DALIT WOMEN ....................... 12 2. PRE-NATAL SEX SELECTION / FEMALE FOETICIDE .............................................................................. 18 3. CHILD MARRIAGE, EARLY MARRIAGE AND FORCED MARRIAGE ........................................................ 24 4. HUMAN TRAFFICKING .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping the Nature of Content and Processes on the English Wikipedia
    ‘Creating Knowledge’: Mapping the nature of content and processes on the English Wikipedia Report submitted by Sohnee Harshey M. Phil Scholar, Advanced Centre for Women's Studies Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai April 2014 Study Commissioned by the Higher Education Innovation and Research Applications (HEIRA) Programme, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore as part of an initiative on ‘Mapping Digital Humanities in India’, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore. Supported by the Ford Foundation’s ‘Pathways to Higher Education Programme’ (2009-13) Introduction Run a search on Google and one of the first results to show up would be a Wikipedia entry. So much so, that from ‘googled it’, the phrase ‘wikied it’ is catching up with students across university campuses. The Wikipedia, which is a ‘collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia’1, is hugely popular simply because of the range and extent of topics covered in a format that is now familiar to most people using the internet. It is not unknown that the ‘quick ready reference’ nature of Wikipedia makes it a popular source even for those in the higher education system-for quick information and even as a starting point for academic writing. Since there is no other source which is freely available on the internet-both in terms of access and information, the content from Wikipedia is thrown up when one runs searches on Google, Yahoo or other search engines. With Wikipedia now accessible on phones, the rate of distribution of information as well as the rate of access have gone up; such use necessitates that the content on this platform must be neutral and at the same time sensitive to the concerns of caste, gender, ethnicity, race etc.
    [Show full text]
  • ISSUE 9 ||January 2020 ||
    www.whiteblacklegal.co.in ISSN: 2581-8503 VOLUME 1: ISSUE 9 ||January 2020 || Email: [email protected] Website: www.whiteblacklegal.co.in 1 www.whiteblacklegal.co.in ISSN: 2581-8503 DISCLAIMER No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form by any means without prior written permission of Editor-in-chief of White Black Legal – The Law Journal. The Editorial Team of White Black Legal holds the copyright to all articles contributed to this publication. The views expressed in this publication are purely personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Team of White Black Legal. Though all efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information published, White Black Legal shall not be responsible for any errors caused due to oversight or otherwise. 2 www.whiteblacklegal.co.in ISSN: 2581-8503 EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF Name - Mr. Varun Agrawal Consultant || SUMEG FINANCIAL SERVICES PVT.LTD. Phone - +91-9990670288 Email - [email protected] EDITOR Name - Mr. Anand Agrawal Consultant|| SUMEG FINANCIAL SERVICES PVT.LTD. EDITOR (HONORARY) Name - Smt Surbhi Mittal Manager || PSU EDITOR(HONORARY) Name - Mr Praveen Mittal Consultant || United Health Group MNC EDITOR Name - Smt Sweety Jain Consultant||SUMEG FINANCIAL SERVICES PVT.LTD. EDITOR Name - Mr. Siddharth Dhawan Core Team Member || Legal Education Awareness Foundation 3 www.whiteblacklegal.co.in ISSN: 2581-8503 ABOUT US WHITE BLACK LEGAL is an open access, peer-reviewed and refereed journal provide dedicated to express views on topical legal issues, thereby generating a cross current of ideas on emerging matters.
    [Show full text]
  • The Law Commission and Sexual Violence. Journal of Indian Law and Society, 6(3), 112-124
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Explore Bristol Research Gangoli, G. , & Rew, M. (2018). Continuities and change: the Law Commission and sexual violence. Journal of Indian Law and Society, 6(3), 112-124. [6]. Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Journal of Indian Law and Society at http://jils.ac.in/archives/volume-6-monsoon/ . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms Continuities and Change: The Law Commission and Sexual Violence —Geetanjali Gangoli and Martin Rew* This paper primarily focuses on the role of the Law Commission of India in the law making process related to sexual violence and rape. The central idea behind the paper is that there is often a mismatch between the Law Commission and the law. The paper begins by con- textualizing sexual violence and rape in India and describing the role of the Law Commission as a body that represents state interests and at the same time arguably stands outside it as well. Regarding the Law Commissions more accepting towards feminist interventions than other institutions, this paper explores two areas of enquiry.
    [Show full text]
  • Mediating Rape: the 'Nirbhaya Effect'
    Mediating rape: the `Nirbhaya effect' in the creative and digital arts Article (Accepted Version) Kaur, Raminder (2017) Mediating rape: the ‘Nirbhaya effect’ in the creative and digital arts. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 42 (4). pp. 945-976. ISSN 0097-9740 This version is available from Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/61990/ This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies and may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher’s version. Please see the URL above for details on accessing the published version. Copyright and reuse: Sussex Research Online is a digital repository of the research output of the University. Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable, the material made available in SRO has been checked for eligibility before being made available. Copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk Mediating Rape: The ‘Nirbhaya Effect’ in the Creative and Digital Arts Raminder Kaur (2016) Accepted for publication in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.
    [Show full text]
  • “Critical Analysis on Mathura Gang Rape Case”, *Suchi
    Volume 2, July 2018 ISSN 2581-5504 “Critical Analysis on Mathura Gang Rape Case” Suchi Jain B.A.LLB (Hons.) Indore Institute of Law ABSTRACT: The article looks at the changes after the heinous incident i.e; Mathura rape. Few years ago, the law relating to rape has suffered many changes, but the same question remains: has the law really changed? While looking at judgments of the Supreme Court to claim that the same judicial mind used in the Mathura rape case are still valid today. And also the concept of the consent or non-consent remains the same issue as the changes in law have failed to address the passive consent and medicalisation of the consent. The article contends that the goal why changes in law have not led to change in the conviction rate is because the amendments to the rape law do not move away from this circular address of consent and non-consent. The answer came is according to law and regard with the consent in cases other than the rape, which is in property and contract that is based on the sympathy of the intent. Thus, the article concludes that as the law is dynamic and changing day by day and it needs reconstruction for the development of women as subject to law and not its object. KEYWORDS: changes, law, judgment, judicial mind, consent, issues, conviction, Amendment, property, contract, dynamic, reconstruction. TITLE OF THE CASE: Tuka Ram AndAnrvs State Of Maharashtra on 15 September, 1978 PETITIONER: TUKA RAM AND ANR. Vs. RESPONDENT: STATE OF MAHARASHTRA DATE OF JUDGMENT: 15/09/1978 Equivalent citations: 1979 AIR 185, 1979 SCR (1) 810 BENCH: KOSHAL, A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Country of Origin Information Report India
    COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT INDIA 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 Border & Immigration Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE INDIA 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN INDIA FROM 1 SEPTEMBER – 30 SEPTEMBER 2007 REPORTS ON INDIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2007 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.08 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................. 2.01 3. HISTORY ............................................................................................... 3.01 1991 to present ............................................................................. 3.01 Congress (I) and economic reform............................................. 3.01 Emergence of BJP........................................................................ 3.02 Tension with Pakistan.................................................................. 3.04 Religious strife ............................................................................. 3.12 General elections 2004 ................................................................ 3.16 State assembley elections 2007.................................................. 3.20 By-elections .................................................................................. 3.24 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS......................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Rape in Kashmir
    Vol. 5, Issue 9 RAPE IN KASHMIR A Crime of War Asia Watch & Physicians for Human Rights A Division of Human Rights Watch Asia Watch Physicians for Human Rights 485 Fifth Avenue 1522 K Street NW, # 910 100 Boylston Street # 702 New York NY 10017 Washington DC 20005 Boston MA 02116 Tel. (212) 972-8400 Tel. (202) 371-6592 Tel. (617) 695-0041 Fax (212) 972-0905 Fax (202) 371-0124 Fax (617) 695-0307 I. Introduction Since January 1990, the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has been the site of a brutal conflict between Indian security forces and armed Muslim insurgents demanding independence or accession to Pakistan. In its efforts to crush the militant movement, India's central government has pursued a policy of repression in Kashmir which has resulted in massive human rights violations by Indian army and paramilitary forces. Throughout the conflict, the security forces have deliberately targeted civilians, the majority of whom are widely believed to sympathize with the militants.1 Indian security forces, which include the army and two paramilitary forces, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) have assaulted civilians during search operations, tortured and summarily executed detainees in custody and murdered civilians in reprisal attacks.2 In October 1992, representatives from Asia Watch and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) traveled to Kashmir to document rape and other human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war by Indian security forces. They also investigated incidents of abuse by armed militant groups who have also committed rape and other attacks on civilians.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Violence in India
    26-05-2013 Subject: Human Rights III Spring Semester 2013 C-Thesis (61-90 hp) Supervisor: Susan Jackson Department of Global Political Studies SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA Author: Arun Ignatius 1 Preface India, a nation which had Mahatma Gandhi as its role model of rectitude became so unbelievably violent and corrupt that the women can no longer be safe within their bodies. Gandhi who defeated the whites to save the browns by relying on non-violence is considered as the father of the nation, but his values are being betrayed so easily that a woman is raped every twenty minutes1 in the world’s largest democracy and even children of five years are subjected to rape2. Economists predict that the future belongs to India as the country is obsessed with inclusive growth and the men with status and power, but the women who give birth to these men live in fear of discrimination and sexual violence. Who will protect the nation’s women? This inspired me to choose the subject ‘sexual violence/rape’ in India for the study and the inspiration that guided me to learn more about the topic made me interested in writing about it. The research done in this subject has often provided more questions than answers, but I have gained a better understanding of the complexity of rape as well as the situation of women in the country. No creation in this world is a solo effort, neither in this study. I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor Susan Jackson for her valuable advice and feedback, information and inspiration, and for motivating me to finish this thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex As a Weapon to Settle Scores Against Dalits: a Quotidian Phenomenon
    Article CASTE: A Global Journal on Social Exclusion Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 121–134 brandeis.edu/j-caste October 2020 ISSN 2639-4928 DOI: 10.26812/caste.v1i2.206 Sex as a Weapon to Settle Scores against Dalits: A Quotidian Phenomenon Jyoti Diwakar1 Abstract In the Indian context, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘caste purity’. Historically, the violation of caste codes including those related to women have been subjected to punishment through the instrument of social ostracism. Dalit men and women have been encountering culturally sanctioned violence, from higher caste people in the name of ‘violating social norms’ such as temple entry, untouchability, inter- caste marriages, and so on. As a result, Dalits, especially women become easy targets for the ‘guardians of social authority’. Sadly, larger majority of Hindus remain immune to the occurrence of violence against Dalits. This article aims to address sexual violence, specifically rapes of Dalit women due to their intersectional position in the society. It explores the responses of state machinery on two case studies: Bhagana (2014) and Alwar (2019), wherein Dalit women’s rapes expose the power wielded by dominant caste communities. The paper shows the use of rape as an apparatus to humiliate a community and family in cases of land disputes involving Dalit farmers. Keywords Rape, Dalit women, caste, sexuality, power, sexual violence Introduction Dalits, with their total number estimated to be 16.6 percent of the Indian population (Census of India, 2011) experience a disproportionate share of its socio-economic burdens. Arguably, it is only Dalits (constitutionally known as scheduled caste), who continue to suffer the traumatic legacy of the most humiliating social degradation inflicted on them through the centuries-old tradition of untouchability 1Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Science, University of Delhi, Delhi–110007 E-mail: [email protected] © 2020 Jyoti Diwakar.
    [Show full text]