Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

The Scheduled Castes And The Scheduled Tribes

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• published: 06 Jan 2016
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The Scheduled Castes And The Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to prevent atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The Act is popularly known as POA, the SC/ST Act, the Prevention of Atrocities Act, or simply the Atrocities Act.Article 17 of Indian Constitution seeks to abolish 'untouchability' and to forbid all such practices. It is basically a "statement of principle" that needs to be made operational with the ostensible objective to remove humiliation and multifaceted harassments meted to the Dalits and to ensure their fundamental and socio-economic, political, and cultural rights.This is to free Indian society from blind and irrational adherence to traditional beliefs and to establish a bias free society. For that, Untouchability (Offences) Act 1955 was enacted. However, lacunae and loopholes impelled the government to project a major overhaul of this legal instrument. From 1976 onwards the Act was revamped as the Protection of Civil Rights Act. Despite various measures adopted to improve the socio-economic conditions of the SCs and STs they remain vulnerable and are subject to various offences, indignities and humiliations and harassment. When they assert their rights and against the practice of Untouchability against them the vested interest try to cow them down and terrorize them. Atrocities against the SCs and STs, still continued. In modern times, atrocities against the Scheduled Castes can be traced back to the 19th century in parts of India when the systemic practice of ‘untouchability’ began to be challenged by the ‘Untouchables’. A Committee which toured British India in the 1920s to review the working of the Government of India Act 1919 noted that many atrocities were being committed during those days against the ‘Untouchables’, but were going unnoticed and unpunished because witness would not come forward to give evidence. Dr BR Ambedkar, then MLC of Bombay, cited some early instances of atrocities against Dalits in his submission to the Indian Statutory Commission (Simon Commission) on behalf of the Bahishkrita Hitakarini Sabha on 29 May 1928. Subscribe To Our Channel For More Educational Videos https://goo.gl/n58OXc