Rampur Clashes: Do They Echo the Memory of the 1997 Ramabai Nagar Tragedy Where 10 Dalit Lives Were Lost?

Lucknow- The death of a teenager belonging to the scheduled caste in Rampur district, has charged the political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh. The teenager was killed after police firing, which ensued a conflict due to the installation of an Ambedkar Board at a land near the village. The victim, Sumesh, had returned after appearing for his High-School exam.

Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad visited Rampur to meet the family of the victim. In a tweet shared ahead of the visit, he said, "Today again I am being reminded about Hathras…"

Chandrashekhar was referring to the rape and murder case of a Valmiki girl in Hathras in 2020, although a more proximate incident occurred on 11th of July 1997 in Mumbai when 11 people belonging to the Dalit community were killed in a police firing. The victims, along with others, were protesting the garlanding of the Ambedkar Statue with footwear by unknown persons.

The incident was condemned all over the country. BSP Supremo Mayawati, who was then the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, condemned the incident and demanded a CBI Inquiry into the incident.

The Gunshots that Tore through Law and Humanity

On 11th June 1997, the residents of Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Mumbai woke up to find that the bust of Dr. Ambedkar in their area was garlanded with sandals. "The statue was situated just 20 feet away from a police outpost," remembers a resident of Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar, who was a 10-year-old child at the time of the incident.

The furious residents approached the nearest police outpost, but the police officials did not pay heed. The protestors blocked the highway near the colony. Subsequently, the State Reserve Police Force came to disperse the crowd but opened fire on the crowd with live cartridges. The firing was ordered by sub-inspector Manohar Kadam. The officers had on previous occasions also faced charges of being "anti-Dalit."

The firing, which lasted for about 10-15 minutes, killed 11 people, including a bystander not involved in the protests. The deceased included Sukhdev Kapadne, Sanjay Nikam, Bablu Verma, Anil Garud, Kishore Kataranwar, Sanjay Kamble, Vilas Dhodke, Mangesh Shivsarne, Aman Dhanawade, and Kauslya Pathare.

The firings further provoked the crowd, resulting in the torching of a luxury bus. A few days following the incident, activist Vilas Ghogre, a Dalit activist, committed suicide protesting against the killings.

26 Years: Justice Still Eludes the Families of the Victims

There was a massive uproar against the killings; Dalit rights groups claimed that the killings were caste-motivated. The government suspended Kadam, the sub-inspector, but he was back to duty merely after three months. The inaction against Kadam reeked of insensitivity on the part of the government, which was led by Manohar Joshi, who passed away recently. He was leading the BJP-Shivsena coalition government at that time.

In a statement of a claim submitted before the Gunderwar Commission, an eyewitness claimed that they "did not lathi-charge, burst tear gas shells, fire a few rounds in the air or… make any serious positive efforts to disperse people," but instead, "in a designed manner, deliberately intentionally opened fire on innocent masses."

The government initiated an inquiry and established a commission in November 1997, chaired by Justice S.D. Gundewar. The Commission of Inquiry submitted its report in 1998, indicting Sub-Inspector Manohar Kadam under section 304-I (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. However, a case against Kadam could only be registered in 2001 following the directions of the High Court. The Chargesheet in the case was filed in December 2021.

A case was also filed against the protestors for attacking policemen, but they were exonerated. Kadam was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 by a trial court. The fast-track court rejected his plea of 'right of private defence' and his claim that the crowd would have set fire to the LPG tank located nearby.

However, just a few days after his conviction, he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on a bail amount of Rs 50,000. The state government filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court following the order, but the petition was rejected.

Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan created a documentary titled "Jai Bhim Comrade," focusing on this case. The full-length documentary sheds light on the agony and the injustice faced by the Dalit Community.

As Dalits in Rampur demand justice, it's essential to also remember the martyrs of Ramabai Nagar in Mumbai, for whom justice still remains elusive.

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