Dysfunctional Monitoring and Vigilance Committees: No effective check on Dalit Atrocities
By Tara Chand Verma
If we look at the data on oppression, violence, and massacres of Dalits based on caste in the country, Rajasthan is a state that has consistently topped the list. The statistics from the last three years alone reveal that every year in the state, 111 Dalits were murdered, 598 Dalit women and 145 girls were raped, and over 27,544 Dalits were subjected to caste-based atrocities. In the year 2024, every month, an average of 6 Scheduled Caste individuals were murdered, 39 women were raped, and around 17 people faced atrocity-related incidents.
A specific law, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, was enacted in 1989 to prevent such atrocities in the country, deliver justice to victims, and ensure their rehabilitation. Rules were framed in 1995 (6 years later) to make the act enforceable. These rules were amended in 2015 to include new forms of atrocities—such as forcing someone (bridegroom) off a mare, compelling people to clean or carry human waste, or cause physical harm or mental agony to a member of a Scheduled Caste on the allegation of practicing witchcraft or being a witch—thereby making the law more comprehensive and robust. Since 2016, it has been implemented across the country in its more comprehensive avatar.
This law includes several commendable provisions to prevent the oppression of Dalits, ensure justice, and rehabilitate the survivors. These include identifying atrocity-prone areas, deploying special police forces in such regions, establishing awareness centers, allocating budgets for their maintenance, ensuring police patrolling, setting up protection cells, instilling a sense of security among Scheduled Castes and Tribes, organizing workshops, and providing victims with travel allowances, daily allowances, maintenance expenses, and transportation facilities, among others. However, it seems this law has never been a priority for the administrative system in this country from the very beginning. In my 20 years of work experience, I have never seen the provisions of this law being fully implemented.
Although the law stipulates proper enforcement and action against those who fail to implement it, Rules 16, 17, and 17(1) provide for the establishment of monitoring committees at the state, district, and sub-division levels to oversee these aspects. Responsibility has been assigned to the highest-ranking officials at each level, such as the Chief Minister at the state level, the District Collector at the district level, and the Sub-Divisional Officer at the sub-division level, who serve as chairpersons of these committees.
Under Rule 16, every state is required to constitute a State-Level Monitoring and Vigilance Committee. The provision for establishing these committees under the law aims to create an effective oversight mechanism and reduce atrocities. These committees are mandated to meet every six months (in January and July) to monitor:
1. The implementation of the law,
2. Vigilance over atrocity cases,
3. Assistance and rehabilitation for victims,
4. Social awareness and prevention efforts,
5. Administrative accountability.
These committees are also supposed to run social awareness campaigns and suggest measures to reduce caste-based discrimination. Their importance lies in the fact that merely punishing offenders is not enough; changing the societal mindset at the root of these atrocities is essential. The committees can make this possible through education and dialogue. Similarly, Rules 17 and 17(1) ensure the formation of committees at the district and sub-division levels under the leadership of the District Collector and Sub-Divisional Officer, respectively. These committees are required to meet at least once every three months to monitor the effective implementation of the law.
However, government data itself reveals that the condition of these committees in the state is deplorable. The state-level committee meeting was held in 2023 after a gap of nearly 13 years. There is no trace of sub-division-level committees, and while district-level committees are sometimes constituted, an environment conducive to fulfilling the spirit of the law is not created. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet members of committees in districts like Jalore, Sirohi, Pali, etc., and learn about their functioning. The experience was deeply concerning. Many members were unaware that they were part of such an important and powerful committee. Some shared interesting facts, such as not receiving meeting notices on time or meetings not being conducted properly.
In the absence or inactivity of these monitoring committees, it is impossible to curb atrocities against Dalits. In 2019, 1,121 perpetrators were convicted, but this number dropped to 686 in 2020. The conviction rate in 2020 was a mere 7.84%, the lowest in the past five years, reflecting deficiencies in the legal process. In essence, it can be said that the committees formed to implement this law are themselves on a ventilator. Without oversight, stopping Dalit atrocities seems unlikely. These Monitoring and Vigilance Committees could play a crucial role in curbing the rising oppression of Dalits in the state if their formation and meetings are taken seriously. The statistics on Dalit atrocities in Rajasthan are alarming, and the state leads the country in this regard. The rising number of crimes and the low conviction rate underscore the need for social reform, strict legal enforcement, and administrative accountability.
For this, education, economic empowerment, and awareness campaigns against caste-based discrimination are essential. Moreover, the Monitoring and Vigilance Committees are the backbone of the effective implementation of this Act. They not only help prevent atrocities and deliver justice to victims but also represent a significant step toward social change. However, their real impact is possible only if they are made active, independent, and well-resourced. The government and civil society must work together to strengthen these committees so that atrocities against Dalits and tribals can be eradicated at their roots.
(Tara Chand Verma is an Advocate who is practicing at the High Court of Rajasthan.)