On Thursday, the Congress party claimed that harassment of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) increased by 35 per cent between 2018 and 2022 and called for an immediate resolution of these complaints. In order to establish a powerful deterrent for potential offenders, Rajendra Pal Gautam, the chairman of the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) SC Department, called for severe and exemplary punishment in cases of harassment against SCs and STs during a press conference.
Gautam emphasised the importance of better utilising the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to handle grievances from marginalised groups. He called on state governments to ensure that justice is served promptly and to take caste-based oppression seriously. "Strong action must be taken to prevent such incidents and instill fear in those who commit these crimes," he said. During his speech, Gautam also urged the Chief Justice of India to take action against judges who, in his opinion, exhibit a "casteist mindset" when rendering decisions in cases involving oppression based on caste.
He claimed that the situation was especially concerning in states where the BJP is in power and voiced his profound concern over what he described as persistent and pervasive attacks on Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, and minorities. He claimed that the frequency and character of these attacks bring shame to the country and harm India's reputation abroad, and that the government's response to these incidents has been incredibly careless.
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Gautam emphasised the rising trend of crimes against SC/STs in several states, citing official statistics. The number of harassment cases in Haryana increased from 762 in 2017 to 1,628 in 2021. The number of incidents in Madhya Pradesh increased from 5,892 to 7,214. The number of cases increased from 1,689 to 2,503 in Maharashtra. Incidents increased from 4,238 to 7,224 in Rajasthan and from 1,669 to 2,327 in Odisha. The number rose from 11,444 to 13,144 in Uttar Pradesh and from 96 to 130 in Uttarakhand over the same time frame.
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Gautam claimed that the state governments' attitudes are still indifferent in spite of these numbers. He claimed that there has been an overall 10 per cent increase in crimes against SCs and STs based on data from 2018 to 2021. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), between 2018 and 2022, the number of harassment incidents against SC and ST communities increased by 35 per cent. He added that Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP says its law and order is excellent, accounted for 26 per cent of all such cases.
Gautam also criticised the National Scheduled Caste Commission's operations. He claims that out of the 6,02,177 complaints that the Commission has received, only 5,843 from Scheduled Castes and 1,783 from Scheduled Tribes have been addressed. "If complaints are not going to be addressed, then why was this Commission established?" he asked, casting doubt on the Commission's mission.
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