On April 2 people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and those who oppose the discrimination and harassment, oppression and violence, rapes and murders against the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes demonstrated throughout the country against the Supreme Court Judgment which virtually annulled The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. The Judgment is a blatant and cruel attack on these sections which suffer from crude oppression and atrocities at the hands of dominant upper castes. The Supreme Court Judges have gone against the very spirit of the Constitution and have given a judgment which will intensify the caste oppression, hatred and atrocities and also boost the morale of upper caste goons. The Attorney General has not bothered to attend the Court despite being asked to and the Govt. has represented before the Court that this Act is being widely misused. This is contrary to the harsh reality of an abysmal rate of convictions, low rate of filing of cases anyway, plethora of false cases under other sections filed by the upper castes and police in most cases of such atrocities against the Dalits and adivasis who are the victims and who dare to lodge complaints. Govt.’s filing for review is but an eye-wash as the whole exercise was well orchestrated to annul the Prevention of Atrocities Act. This is in keeping with the upper caste chauvinist, patriarchal agenda of the BJP-RSS Central Govt.

April 2 demonstrations became a sort of outburst of anger against the systematic attempts by the ruling establishment to protect perpetrators of these atrocities, to further marginalize members of these communities and even attack those rights which the struggles in the past had been able to snatch from the ruling classes. It was also an expression of anguish against the insensitive and committed judiciary.

Upper caste chauvinist character of ruling class machinery was much in evidence on April 2. The demonstrators were lathi-charged and tear gassed. Live bullets were used against them killing several of them. No action has been taken against the police officials who attacked and killed the protesters. The killings occurred in Rajasthan, MP and UP –all BJP-RSS ruled states. On the other hand a large number of participants, mostly youth, have been arrested, have been beaten and ill-treated by police, false cases have been foisted against them and they are being kept in custody to punish them from daring to protest against caste atrocities and their perpetrators.

April 2 protests opens a new phase of struggle against caste oppression and atrocities, of struggle against the system perpetrating the caste oppression and discrimination and against the ruling class parties which are protecting the perpetrators of these atrocities and are perpetuating the domination of upper castes in all walks of economic, social and political life in the country. April 2 marked large scale participation in the protests all over the country. It is an outburst of a pent-up anger of the exploited and oppressed.

Let us rise to build a broad based and militant struggle against the Supreme Court order and against caste discrimination and oppression. Let us rouse the people into struggle against the inhuman caste system and against the present anti-people system perpetuating caste oppression. Let us intensify the struggle for radical land reforms.

Jyotiba Phule and Dr. Ambedkar have been tireless fighters against the decadent caste system and have become symbols of that struggle. It is appropriate that in this struggle we honour their role in educating and rousing the people against the caste system and in bringing the caste question on the political agenda of the country.

CPI (ML)-New Democracy Central Committee calls upon the people to organize the protests against the Supreme Court order from April 11 (Jyotiba Phule’s Birth Anniversary) to April 14 (DR. Ambedkar’s Birth Anniversary).

Mobilize widest sections of people in these protests. Join hands with revolutionary organizations and other organizations fighting caste oppression and caste discrimination.

We demand that Supreme Court Judges who have given this verdict against the spirit of the Constitution and in favour of increasing the caste atrocities should be impeached. Attorney General should be dismissed. Union Minister of Law should resign failing which he should be dismissed. Supreme Court order should be annulled.

All those arrested for April 2 protests should be released immediately and unconditionally. Police officers responsible for killing, injuring and foisting cases against protesters should be punished.

Rise with intensity and in number to wipe out this blot (Supreme Court Order). Mobilize the people against caste atrocities, caste oppression and this inhuman caste system.

CPI(ML)-New Democracy

April 7, 2018