Chirag Paswan to launch agitation to restore status quo of the SC and ST Act

This was drafted before "Back to Original Act" passed recently  in July-Aug 2018 in Parliament.

Now comes a turn of Chirag Paswan to champion the cause of Schedule caste (SC) and Schedule tribe (ST) community by launching agitation for restoring status quo on SC-ST Act

Sometime back, when Supreme Court (SC) gave its verdict on immediate arrest of the accused under the SC-ST Act and felt that it does not meet the natural cause of justice without any investigation or preliminary enquiry, it was like heaven-has-fallen-over-heads reactions of most political leaders of SC and ST communities.
Being directly and indirectly accused of fake, unsubstantiated allegations under the above Act, I have some personal experience of its misuse. At the same time, I do not deny that SC and ST community still suffers from some unscrupulous, insensitive people of higher caste on the basis of caste discrimination.
Just because the SC-ST officer (being senior) in the office hierarchy felt slighted because Mr Sharma (being junior) did not wish him or salute him, this SC-ST guy appeals falsely to the National Commission of SC and ST. There is absolutely no evidence in terms of recording or presence of witnesses. A single letter to the Commission sets the ball rolling, with police constable calling on the accused, advising him to tender the unconditional apology so that accuser withdraws his complaint as promised. He also informed the accused that these matters lead to lot of harassment over time as per his experience in the police department.
Some accusers are habitual as I found out. But few novices amongst these communities are acutely aware of unfair advantage this Act offers, to settle the score either as a matter of professional, political, and purely personal nature. Of course, these people are few and majority of the professionals of SC and ST community are above this misuse.
I had an argument on this aspect with some members of this community on Face Book. And well known point to state is that prosecution rate of accused under this Act is very less, lower than the prosecution rates under the other Acts. And this is because of the biasness in handling cases by the police officers, as most belong to higher castes. However, it is a stated principle of the law of land that let hundred accused go scot-free, but not a single innocent man be punished. Moreover, mishandling of cases can not be a reason for bringing in status quo.
And in this age of dog-bites-dog competition; everything seems to be fair as long as the politics of caste and creed gives an advantage. SC reviewed its own verdict and reiterated its earlier position that accused needs to get the fair chance to represent and not simply jailed without any evidence or preliminary enquiry.
Chirag Paswan belongs to SC and ST community. He is also a member of Parliament and may be Minister. I do not know if he spoke against the SC verdict earlier. Probably, his father Ram Vilas Paswan did speak. Being politician, now is his turn. Being a junior yet most important leader of his party (Lok Janshakti Party) which is sharing power with BJP, he is testing the turbid political environment to extract as much as possible from BJP or prepare a ground for greener pasture of combination and recombination that is soon to occur as the General elections take place in near future. Chirag Paswan is threatening to launch agitation, despite his party being in the Government, against the Government if it fails to restore status quo on this Act before the SC verdict. This is another milestone of selfishness, hypocrisy and illogic.
At this time, I remember what Robert Kennedy spoke in public rally on hearing murder of Martin Luther King in April 1968. What we need in the United States is not division. what we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but love and wisdom and compassion toward one another, a feeling of justice to those who still suffer in our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
Substitute the United States for India; black for SC-ST and white for other communities/caste and read it again.

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