Last year, we saw protests by Marathas of Maharashtra under the banner of ‘Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha’ (Maratha’s silent protest) and their demands were

1) Scrapping of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and

2) Reservations for Maratha community within OBC.

The Marathas’ logic for scrapping the SC/ST Atrocities Act was that most of the cases are registered against them are fake. In some cases, they were claiming that 95% cases under SC/ST Atrocities Act are fake! The target of Marathas obviously was the scrapping of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and reservation for SC/STs.

According to the Indian Express report for the first time since last year’s Maratha agitation which demanded dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the Maharashtra Police has informed the state government that contrary to claims, the Act safeguarding the rights of the Dalit community has not been misused. A report with detailed statistics indicating this was recently submitted to the Home Department.

Brahminical media played a vital role in their propaganda against SC/STs despite having no proof at that time Brahminical media and Brahminical political parties supported Marathas in their agitation.

These Marathas were talking without any fact. They should have presented the facts and figures that out of 100, these many %age cases were fake under SC ST Act but they didn’t do that. The discussion on scrapping the SC/ST Act should have started from there, not from baseless propaganda run by these people.

Section 3(1) (x) in The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989

(x) intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view.

So-called Marathas from Maharashtra had the problem with this section specifically. When Dalits are becoming aware of their rights these upper castes want to change the provisions of SC/ST (PoA) Act. When cases of atrocities on Dalits have increased by almost 20% last year, the question that needs to be discussed is whether the police is registering cases under SC/ST act or why conviction rate is so low, the conviction rate is as less as 1% in some cases.

Now, it is a time to punish those Marathas and leaders who misled the whole nation and book them under SC/ST Atrocities Act!