‘Laws failed to check atrocities against vulnerable sections’

More than three dozen scholars and foreign delegates are participating in the conference — a first of its kind organised by the institute jointly with University of London’s School of Advanced Study and South Asian Studies Council and MacMillan Centre of the Yale University.

Admitting that though economic development,literacy and reservation benefits had been able to weaken the old caste hierarchies,Mungekar said that there is a need to introduce stringent measures and higher punishments. He went on to express serious concern over continued violence against the lower castes mainly on two grounds — violation of civil rights in rural India and atrocities largely resulting from economic and political factors.

“Instances like honour killings in Rajasthan,Haryana,Punjab,Khap panchayats ordering cold-blooded murders of young couples,which recently Supreme Court had termed as heinous crime falling in rarest of rare cases,and instances of rape of SC/ST women are worst form of atrocities,” the IIAS Chairman said.

Mungekar also criticised the socio-culturally elite sections for opposing some of the affirmative actions or measures for SC/ST and OBC communities.

“What is wrong in getting an exact head count of the families,who will get focused attention and benefits of government policies and schemes designed for their socio-economic uplift,” he asked.