Hitting out at the BJP for injustice to Dalits and Adivasis in the states, the Congress on Thursday also urged the government to take "corrective steps" in Parliament and file a review petition in the Supreme Court on the SC/ST Act.
It said that the Supreme Court verdict on Tuesday on the cast erased decades of work of the Congress government as it laid down stringent measures for action under the The SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, including provisions for 'anticipatory bail', 'arrest' and 'preliminary enquiry' before registering a case.
"The emergence of the BJP goverment has seen other atrocities especially against the youth in the form of Rohith Vemula, the Una floggings, the rape of Dalit girls, the murders of infants in Sunped, Haryana or the Saharanpur violence against Dalit brothers.
"It seems that there is no end to this injustice for the oppressed. The BJP leadership in every state have either played an instrumental role or have turned a blind eye," said Congress leader P.L. Punia in a statement.
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Stressing every law is prone to misuse, he said: "That does not mean that those laws should be abolished. There can be even false murder or rape cases - many do not fructify. Should a rape and murder case law be abolished because of possible abuse?
"If a possible abuse of a law be a ground for its abolition, then there will be lawlessness in the country. That is why we have an investigation agency, courts and Criminal Procedure Code. The question is why should there be discriminatory treatment vis-a-vis Dalits and Adivasis only."
"Congress and all fair-minded people of this country are saddened by what has happened. It represents regression and backwardness rather than progressiveness... we urge government of India to take corrective steps in Parliament as well as before the Supreme Court," said Punia.
--IANS
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