Govt to...

“Teachers should be provided with context specific special training. There should be adequate representation of Muslim parents in the school management committee.”

A committee of parliamentarians had previously flagged the rise in dropout rates among Scheduled Caste children from 18.66% in 2013-14 to 19.36% in 2014-15. The committee members were however hopeful that the situation had improved in the subsequent years.

The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme notes that problems of exclusion often take highly local and context-specific forms.

The policy document also lists out measures that can help the inclusion of SC children.

“All the curricular activities including sports, music and drama should be encouraged as they help break social barriers,” it says in one such suggestion.

Attendance and dropout rates should be monitored closely and interventions such as creating boarding options or improving transport facilities should be made, according to another suggestion.

In the context of Muslim children, the government pointed out socio-cultural and economic constraints. “There is early withdrawal of male children to enable them to apprentice with artisans, mechanics etc. Even earlier withdrawal of female children is there due to social and religious reasons.

A large part of exclusion results from social distance caused by lack of knowledge and understanding about minority communities. Finding spaces to break these information barriers would go a long way in reducing the hostilities and insecurities that exist (sic)”. belongs to one of the other backward castes (OBC). A clip from the video was shown on many news channels, with the faces of the boys blurred.

On June 15, Gandhi tweeted a version of the video clip in which the boys’ faces are clearly visible. He wrote that the boys’ only mistake had been to bathe in a “golden” well, indicating that the owner of the well belongs to an upper caste. He also said history wouldn’t forgive India if it doesn’t speak up against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gandhi’s tweet has been retweeted more than nine thousand times.

Amol Jadhav, a Chira Bazaar resident, filed a complaint with MSCPCR on June 19, requesting action against Gandhi under section 74 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act and section 23 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Both sections of the above laws prohibit disclosing the identity of child victims. Violations may attract minimum six months’ imprisonment and fine.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the party would respond to the show cause after examining its legal aspects. “The video was already viral on social networking sites and the Congress chief was not the only person who tweeted it. Moreover, it’s a deliberate attempt made by the BJP to divert attention of the people from real issue — atrocities on Dalits have risen significantly,” said Sawant.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Maharashtra is ranked eighth in the country in terms of crimes against Dalits. development; and had even appointed an interlocutor on Kashmir -- Dineshwar Sharma , a former director of the Intelligence Bureau

But he state government has failed in addressing the core issues in Kashmir, Madhav said. “The security scenario has deteriorated, causing serious concern about the protection of basic fundamental rights of life, free speech. Daylight murder of a respected editor like Shujat Bukhari in the heart of Srinagar city is an indicator to the deterioration of the situation and the extent of radicalisation,” he said, referring to the June 14 murder of the senior journalist by suspected terrorists.

Madhav also accused the government of being unresponsive to the needs of Jammu and Ladakh, adding that the situation made it untenable for the BJP to continue in government. Mehbooba Mufti was busy handling government files at her office in the civil secretariat when she was told of the BJP’S decision. A person familiar with the matter said it was the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary who broke the news to her. Taken by surprise, she had a quick meeting with close aides, and subsequently held a press conference.

“We did not form this alliance for power. I submitted my resignation to the Governor and told him that we are not looking to explore any other alliance,” she said in Srinagar. “One can’t treat Jammu and Kashmir as enemy territory--a muscular policy can’t succeed here.”

Explaining her remarks, a key aide to Mufti said on condition of anonymity, “The BJP wants to appears hardline on security for its base in Jammu and elsewhere in the country because they thought they were being seen as ineffectual. They wanted us to be more strident. But we were losing ground. There were contradictions.”

The arithmetic of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly does not lend itself to an easy alternative. The 87-member house has 28 MLAS from PDP, 25 from BJP, 15 from the National Conference, 12 from the Congress, and the rest from smaller groups and independents.

NC leader Omar Abdullah was quick to accuse the BJP and PDP of pushing the state to the precipice.

“We didn’t have the mandate in the last election, we don’t have it now. We have not approached anyone (for a tie-up) nor are we going to,” he said, demanding early elections in the state; the people must have a chance to choose their government, he said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “The opportunistic BJP-PDP alliance set fire to J&K, killing many innocent people including our brave soldiers. It cost India strategically and destroyed years of UPA’S (United Progressive Alliance’s) hard work. The damage will continue under President’s rule. Incompetence, arrogance and hatred always fails.”

Senior Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said he had always maintained the alliance had been a Himalayan blunder and ruled out support to the PDP.

With neither the PDP nor the NC staking a claim for forming another government , the doors for an elected executive within the current configuration immediately seemed closed.