Tipster Scherezade alerts us to a disturbing story out of Guwahati, about a protest gone horribly awry:
Assam was rocked by violence during Saturday’s protests by tribals backed by the All Assam Adivasi Students’ Association (AAASA) students when locals brutally beat them up resulting in at least one death and over 250 people getting injured.
But not only were the Adivasi students beaten up but the women protesters were stripped and molested by the residents of Guwahati.
A local Assamese businessman Ratul Burman was seen attacking a woman after she was stripped during clashes on Saturday. Burman and two others have been arrested. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has announced a Rs 1 lakh compensation to the woman.
The Chief Minister has indicated that he wants Burman to receive the “maximum punishment” for his role in this assault. More than 250 people were injured in Saturday’s protests.
In more incidents of violence in Assam two more people have been killed, one of them shot in firing by the army.
Army was called in to stage flag marches in Guwahati on Saturday evening after Adivasi students went on the rampage, looting shops and burning vehicles in Assam’s capital city.
The cause of the protest? A desire for Scheduled Tribe status.
In her tip, Scherezade says:
Residents beat up women who were a part of the All Assam Adivasi Students’ Association (AAASA). Local media has been circulating videos of a businessman constantly hitting a naked woman in the genitals with his boots and beating her with a wooden plank. Heart-breaking stuff. Stories like these almost never catch the eye of the larger(read: western) media. People I know of, who were witness to this horrendous atrocity lie injured in a hospital. It’s tragic.
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Title is a quote from Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, about Burman’s violent assault on the women in the photograph.
Sometimes ‘eye-for-an-eye’ doesn’t make the whole world blind but rather provides a fitting punishment for such savagery.
What is the history of the relationship between adivasi and non-adivasi communities in Assam?
should be “history of the relationship between…”
long day.
Pish-posh. Nothing wrong with your comment. 😉
this is just vile. hard to put in words the kind of raw disgust that I feel right now.
I get tired of hearing this superlative from our politicians. WTF does maximum punishment mean? Are these guys going to be put to death? Surely not, although if they were that would not classify as extreme either IMO. I wish these guys would stop dealing in superlatives and match actions with their words.
More:
I feel stupid, but what is a TRP?
Whats more vile is those men standing there and laughing. Shame!
Yeah. 🙁 That’s why this post is light on “commentary”.
Santosh, Al, I agree with you both.
TRP. Similar to Nielsen in the U.S.
Television Rating Points
Murali, here is what little I know of the regional conflict:
Many of the protesting Adivasis in Assam belong to what are called “tea labor” communities. In the mid 1800s, these Adivasis were brought to Assam as indentured workers from various other neighboring regions and “tribes” by the British for the sole purpose of farming on tea plantations. They ended up settling down there after their period of servitude was completed, and many continued agricultural labor, forming loose communities. They make up a large percentage of the state’s population, I’ve heard about 1/5th or so. Because they were not “native” to the land, the gov. refuses to grant them Schedule Caste status which prohibits them from receiving the benefits of historically disadvantaged populations. This is generally what they protest against.
The state of the communities now can be considered somewhat analogous to that of natives in America, in that most live in extreme poverty and can barely survive off of the land. Alcoholism is a major issue, and high school drop out rates are high as well. Deforestation and other expansion programs are infringing on their ability to farm well, and employment in general is becoming scarce because of the mechanization of production (I think factories are one of the only centers of work in some of those areas).
Every now and then the communities receive some small munitary compensation for certain problems, but not much. They are, however, pretty visible in Assamese election campaigns, when their communities are often mentioned and used for political platforms.
Aah, let’s just give them a few casinos and everything else can easily be forgiven and forgotten. Easy!
I know the pic’s been pixellated but i cant help but look at that smear of crimson and hope it is fabric.
if there is a positive side – it would be that video proof of such brutalization is so hard hitting and the resultant public outrage so vehement, justice (or some manner of it) is delivered swiftly and the affair stays in the public eye. if these horrors are coming to light it is because technology is making the recording and the dissemination available to the average person. chicken shit though the guy was who took the vid, at least he did it.
monetary compensation*
I suppose I’ve had a long day, too!
Disgusting……the Indian legal system rarely works but hopefully public outrage will drive the court to make an example of this evil man and his goon squad
Reminded me of Kherlanji. Interestingly this link says that the CBI did not find any indications of rape when I remember pictures where genital violations using sticks were visible.
Akshay @ 11, From whatever little I know, isn’t there a Hindi/Bengali outsiders versus local Assamese angle to the Assam problem ?
Dang. That’s all I can say.
This is absolutely horrible. It just makes me so angry! India as a whole just needs to get its act together and have some sort of respect for ALL of its people–not just the rich males.
repulsive. what sort of men are these? what’s worse is that the three arrested are reportedly “postgraduates from good families.” [aren’t they always]. wonder what their mothers/sisters (if they have any) think of them?
” isn’t there a Hindi/Bengali outsiders versus local Assamese angle to the Assam problem ?”
yes, although not sure that this is related to that. athough four bombs went off in assam today, which is apparently a day of protest by ulfa.
This image repulsed me and as a long time lurker I had to say something. On my brief visits to India I have noticed that cruelty is a more frequent occurrence in the homeland. Whether it’s someone in a privileged position screaming and threating to a servant or the police not hesitating to use violence as a resolution.
People seem to be able to separate cruelty to fellow humans in categories where someone who they deem less than themselves is up for the same treatment they reserve for animals. What could a person who in the position of the businessman be thinking as he did to this to the woman in the picture? In India as in many developing countries, often privilege comes with the power to strike out without recourse … I really do hope that the businessman gets punished but I have the sneaking feeling that he has power and with that will come a light sentence.
add the fcker’s name to the title of the post and he’ll have google pagerank immortality (evil grin*).
disgusting. yet, those barbarians will go caught free – justice in India often exists only on paper.
The “long arm of the law” is not long enough in India!
Damn that is sad and the worst part those assholes in te back laughing,I think that if they were real men they would have covered that young lady up.
Interesting Music Vieos when searching Assam Adivasi http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Assam+Adivasi+&search=Search
One reason why the larger (Western) media might try not to cover a story like this is because they want to avoid being accused of always focusing on the negative aspects of India. I mean, my old chemistry teacher was aaalllways going on about that like “The West always makes India look bad, look at the kinds of stories they publish! Poverty! Crime! They never have anything good to say!”.
I’m an ex army personal when in the army we always wanted a chance, just one chance, 24 hours to rid the corrupt politicians from our country. a compensation of 1 lakh rs. to a woman who has been stripped of her dignity is not enough. the only way to restore the stripped womans dignity is to publicly punish or execute the responsible person or people.
Not just the west. Think of Ray and his movies…always showing poverty in India. Chee chee.
Must’ve been a bad week for women in India.
musharraf thought the same. so did pol pot. as did chairman mao. unfortunately this thinking does not carry out very well in practice. the masses, and bless us for that, are not indoctrinated to follow orders without question. in some cases we even act counter to reason. a healthy society thus needs to function as per any or all of the following
in this case i doubt the second guideline was a factor. burman did not believe an adivasi or a woman was worthy of being treated as a human, as one of his own. where does this thought come from? Likely the society he grew up in, the people he hung out with. this event is disappointing not only because of the hate of the individual at display, but because it is an indictment of the society -such as those grinning in the backdrop – around this guy.
The three who did that ghastly act have been arrested. I am not convinced about the television footage though. Although it brought on the public outrage, It was plain cowardly , I couldn’t just stand there.
What a shame. Heartbreaking. All those so called men, who were laughing at this poor woman should be stripped and showed on all TV channels. I cannot imagine what that woman must have gone through. She must have felt so helpless. All those people around her and no one to help.
Oh God!! Imagine her life now.
Isn’t this episode another extension of the regular killing of Biharis/bhaiyas that happens in Assam? If i’m not mistaken the Adivasis are originally from Jharkhand, which was a part of Bihar and the people of both those states speak the same language and have similar cultures.
Truly disgusting. The criminals got to be punished. On a different note, been a regular reader of ur blogs Anna; great job. keep going. if u have blogged somewhere on the current plight of Taslima Nasrin and the riots that hounded her out of calcutta, do give us the link.
One step forward, two steps back! I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again!
After migrating to Canada in my late teens, I began to attend one of Toronto’s Universities. My uncle, also a recent immigrant was curious about college life (seeing as his daughter would be attending ten years later) & asked me point blank if ‘ragging’ was something that took place on this side of the world. I of course had no idea what ragging was. I had no clue! I left India when I was 13. He had to explain it to me (from his college days in Bombay). I was shocked! I looked at him with disbelief & said that most certianly does not happen here. I couldn’t believe that something like that could happen in India of all places, where boys & girls are taught to teach each other with respect from a young age, where Bhai/Bahen is a common call name among children & adults, strangers & friends. How does that level of respect get lost and lead to events like these? Why are things like this never portrayed in Bollywood movies? The west is not perfect, but an atrocity like this is not tolerated with a mere slap on the wrist. And people wonder why the West thinks India is uncivilized! I am truly horrified, angry and most of all ashamed! My heart goes out to the woman & her family.
Ragging varies from college to college in India, and maybe your uncle told you the worst. It was already on the decline in early 90s at my college, with the administration getting strict/er and disciplining seniors who were caught. My own experience? Except for one instance, it was a lot of fun, and the guys/seniors who ragged me also became best friends and helped me over the next few years. That’s just how it worked. I’m also wondering about the fraternities/sororities in the US and their “pledges” and other activities, and how they compare to ragging. There’s one movie called “Holi” that depicts college life (including some ragging) – it has a young Aamir Khan.
I believe it is called Hazing in your neck of the woods.
Ragging was often portrayed in bollywood movies upto 1998 ( have not seen a BW movie since then)
Because they’re real and actually do happen ;)?
Ragging happens in top business schools – although tis more sophisticated.
Thanks Amit, Melbourne Desi & Someone! It is definitely good to know that ragging is on the decline in India. Unfortunately, an incident like this is just shocking. Not too good for India’s image….
Heinous act! But, just a background. Of course from (nearly) first hand sources as ever. The santhals (otherwise called adivasis) are the workers in tea plantations in Assam. On Saturday, they took out a procession to demand the ST status in Assam, when they had permission only to hold a gathering. As a result security personnel were not deployed in adequate numbers and the adivasis indulged in unprovoked arson attacks on homes, shops and vehicles on their way to the secreteriat. This female, according to my (almost) first hand source, was an active participant in the arson. The perpetrators were mostly shopkeepers or vehicle owners who suffered property damage, and of course free floaters. They just waited for the adivasis to return. Then the free for all.
There are ethnic tensions in Assam, but this incident was mostly retaliatory and unexpected. I understand that the terms adivasi and women are supposed to evoke instant sympathy, but a little bit of background always helps. Still a henious act no matter what the provokation, and no Assamese will condone this. This incident is particularly unfortunate and shameful for the average Assamese.
After migrating to Canada in my late teens, I began to attend one of Toronto’s Universities. My uncle, also a recent immigrant was curious about college life (seeing as his daughter would be attending ten years later) & asked me point blank if ‘ragging’ was something that took place on this side of the world. I of course had no idea what ragging was. I had no clue! I left India when I was 13. He had to explain it to me (from his
It is called hazing in Amreeka.
It happens to varying degree in various fraternities, and sororities, and even in dorms.
A few years ago, a freshmen died at MIT by forced binge drinking during freshmen hazing.
Even West Point has had very heinous hazing incidents, including women who left West Point soon after. Skull and Bones from Yale is very famous for secret hazing that only George Bush and John Kerry share the secret.
Ragging is on decline in India, but it still happens, and like here, it is more entrenched in elite schools. like IITs and IIMs.
I’m told Paul Giamatti, William F. Buckley, Eric Liu, or Dana Milbank might also be in on this secret . . . . 😉
This is tip of the iceberg
MIT’s Inaction Blamed for Contributing to Death of a Freshman
By LEO REISBERG
Cambridge, Mass.
Long before Scott Krueger drank himself to death at a Phi Gamma Delta initiation event last year, there were signs that social life in the Greek system at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was getting out of hand.
In 1996, three Boston College students were hospitalized on separate occasions for alcohol poisoning after partying at Phi Gamma Delta, an M.I.T. fraternity. A fed-up dean at the college asked the neighboring university to take some action. ………..more here
Hazing has such a long history in West Point, there is even a book on it……Bullies and Cowards
All military academies here have had recent exposure of extreme hazing, especially with induction of women cadets.
university to take some action. ………..more here The link is here for MIT story
Now link to hazing in High Schools.
You do a PhD on hazing traditions in military academies in America, UK, and also elite boarding schools in UK>
Kush, I could be wrong but from what I know (comparing what my friends told me), ragging was much extreme in private colleges as compared to the elite schools – because the latter had stricter administration.
Kush, I could be wrong but from what I know (comparing what my friends told me), ragging was much extreme in private colleges as compared to the elite schools – because the latter had stricter administration.
Yes, my father used to be one of the dean of University of Roorkee (now IIT) in 80-90s, and they would be 40-50 faculty members doing 24 hours/ 7 shifts in different dorms, but still a lot of ragging happened. Being expelled from an elite institute is kiss of death in India – socially, and economic opportunities. I guess private Universities in India do not invest that much.
It is different in India, like in IIT or Stephen’s College, you have a kid who has never left home, and is suddenly thrown to a dorm, and sometimes, quite demeaning ragging can leave an effect. By the time, you have reached IIMs, you are in your 20s, 30s, or even older.
Nobody should deny that, it is not a problem in India. However, saying that it does not exist in West is little too much. It is very much alive, most commonly in binge drinking ceremonies for underage.
But MsCutePants comment quite ironic about hazing/ ragging an Indian phenomenon. Since ragging/ hazing for incoming freshmen in schools, universities, and athletic teams is a rite of passage very alive in West. Or, bullying is a universal trait all across the world.
It lives very strongly in America, even in high schools. In military academies, the top hazers are sometimes the top alpha cadets (and seen as future generals and admirals). A year or two ago, NYT did some thorough research** where upper classmen in leadership roles in military academies in US (in Annapolis, West Point, even Air Force academy in Colorado) were even involved in rape, etc, but never reprimanded, as these upper classmen were very powerful, and were seen as future leaders*.
I made a comment on Skull and Bones……both Kerry and Bush were asked about initiation ceremonies in 2004 election TV interviews, and both kept quiet, and smiled. The movie Good Shepard shows some of them (where upper classmen pee on initiates) but nobody knows how true they are.
** This happened when some women left out of disgust but were generally declared unfit for the rigors of the academy, and never redressed. Now, these academies are waking up, and are responding to it.
Yesterday kicked off the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. You can find a listing of events in your hometown here and a Take Action Kit here.
Why is this becoming a thread about hazing/ragging? How does this even compare to hazing/ragging? Are there universities where you have to be stripped naked in public and beaten and kicked in the genitals to get into some clique, because that’s what this is about–women being stripped naked in public and savagely beaten.
To the people who feel that the person who made the video did not do enough–how do you know the camera-person was a man? And even if it was a man, is a man not allowed to be scared? You all are pretty quick to judge from afar–I hope you never find yourself in a similar situation where your macho courage might be tested. I think the person that took shot the video was pretty courageous, and I think your sexist condemnation of the camera-person reveals a shade of the same sort of patriarchal attitude that lies at the root of this horrendous act.
Are there universities where you have to be stripped naked in public and beaten and kicked in the genitals to get into some clique,
Definitely in some high schools. You might want to read this.
PS: This is my last comment, and I did not start the discussion on hazing/ ragging. In broad sense, I agree hazing, and violence of this post are not in the same league.