Raj Thackeray demands review of atrocities act

MUMBAI: After Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has sought a review of the atrocities act

MUMBAI: After Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has sought a review of the atrocities act on grounds that it is being misused. He also demanded reservation on the basis of economic status and not caste.

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Thackeray said when he visited a village in Karjat — where a minor girl was raped and brutally killed — the villagers complained the atrocities act was being misused by the Dalit community.

“We need to change the act as we are seeing a lot of cases where it is being misused,” said Thackeray. “Why do we need laws framed on the basis of caste,” he asked. He also wanted the current reservation system to be changed.

“Reservation should be on the basis of economic factors and not on caste,” he said.

In the Karjat incident, the girl belonged to the dominant Maratha community, while the accused were allegedly Dalits. The villagers prevented Dalit leaders namely Ramdas Athawale and Prakash Ambedkar from visiting the village to meet the girl’s family.

The Scheduled Caste and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were framed by the Union Government in 1989 to prevent atrocities against members of the SC and ST community and bring them into the mainstream.