DALIT COMMISSION

History...

After 1970, when the student leaders of AICUF declared that ‘We were born into an unjust society; we are determined not to leave it as we have found it’, the focus and orientation of AICUF largely changed. AICUF entered into a serious social analysis and committed itself to work for the poor in India. Further analysis and deliberations led the movement to sharpen the focus and in 1989, the movement preferentially opted for the empowerment of Dalits, Tribals, and Women. The 1999 Convention added the Refugees also as yet another thrust area of the movement. Activities to promote the liberation of these groups were designed and conducted in AICUF. In August 1994, National Dalit Students' Forum was formed. In 1996, it became as the All India Dalit Students' Forum. In 1999, March, a consultation was organised to form the National Dalit Commission in AICUF. Vision Statement was then, prepared. The Fourth National Convention in 1999 approved the National Level Dalit Students' Commission in AICUF.

Then, the students wanted to have separate training programmes for the Dalits. Incorporating this idea of separate formation to the Dalit students, most of the States conducted special camps and workshops regularly.

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Objectives

• To demand an egalitarian administrative set up in which Dalits can enjoy their fundamental human rights

• To empower Dalits to fight against unjust social order and to march towards a just society

• To unite University Dalit Students and empower them to demand their right for quality education and humane treatment

• To equip the Dalit Students with an ideological clarity and inspirational motivation to take up leadership and face the future

• To achieve total human liberation in which Dalit liberation is an integral part

• To sensitize non-Dalits about the plight of Dalits

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Activities

Resurgent camps at different levels, the beginners’ programmes, and advanced training for the students who have already attained certain level of awareness, Study camps, Training for the Dalit professors, Inter-State Dalit Exposure Programmes, Seminars on the Dalit History, Video Documentations on the atrocities on the Dalits, Participating in the rallies and dharnas, Political Training, Fact finding Training, promoting Dalit advisers in the state, regional levels, taking up the issues of discriminatory practices, Involving the non-Dalits in the process are some of the activities of the commission.

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Achievements

• AICUF Dalit Commission has created many Dalit leaders who are at the Panchayat, local, state and the national levels committed to work among the Dalits.

• In all the Dalit movements, the role of AICUFers has been vital and commendable.

• The Dalit students are in touch with the grassroots workers and activists.

• The Dalit students within the campus recapitulate their identity and involve actively in the activities related to the Dalits in general.

• The AICUF students have involved in fact finding during the riots and atrocities against Dalits in many parts of the Country. For example, Gundupatty where the Dalits were beaten up by the police and Eraiyur where the dominant caste people did not the funeral procession of a dalit priest’s mother.

• The participants of the Dalit resurgent camps have expressed that they have gained self-confidence from being together as one group.

• AICUF through its dedication to the cause of Dalits has created awareness and sensitivity to the cause of Dalits within and outside the campus.

• There have been special publications on the issues and problems related to the Dalit students and the pedagogy that is followed in AICUF.

• On important occasions like Ambedkar’s birthday, the students publish bit notices on the plight of Dalits and distribute them to the public, creating awareness and knowledge.

• On such days, many units organize Quiz on the life and ideology of Dr. Ambedkar and all college competition on the themes related to the Dalits.

• The leaders who have got trained in the resurgent and other camps have exhibited their leadership qualities at the college and university levels. Some of them have been elected presidents of the students’ union.