PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 897
village, so that the evil forces which brought about the disease may pass away. Fortunately, they forgot that he had a turban on the head, and he too forgot to remove the turban. And the burning fire and the pot in which the fire was placed were so hot that practically half his cranium was burnt. I find no mention of this in the Report of the Commission. I know of a case in the Hyderabad State, in the Aurangabad district, where a certain Scheduled Caste woman was declared by the villagers as a witch who was responsible for some kind of an epidemic that was prevalent in that village. They questioned her. She could hardly prove her innocence; there was no method of proving. The result was that not only she was belaboured, but her house was burnt, and the members of her family were subjected to ignominies of the worst sort. I do not find any mention of that in the Report of the Commissioner.
My hon. friend, the Home Minister, I think, will admit that the Scheduled Caste people, for good reason or for bad reason, are in the habit of sending their complaints to me as
10-00 A.M. well as to the Government officers, and I too posses a long list of these tyrannies and oppressions. I thought that it would be right to expect some reference to these complaints in this public document. But there is none whatever. And I have been wondering whether this Report of the Commissioner, so far as the record of complaints is concerned, is a doctored and tutored document. The Commissioner seems to have completely forgotten one of the most important objectives that underline the creation of his office. The object was that public conscience should be energised by the presentation of the ugly treatment which the caste Hindus meted out to the Scheduled Castes, so that those who are enlightened enough may go among the public and tell them whether this is a behaviour worthy of a civilised people. But when you do not present these facts, when you suppress them for one reason or another, this important motive and object in the creation of this office, I think, is completely nullified. I do hope that in the next report which the Commissioner will prepare, he will bear this thing in mind, and not be ashamed to present facts as they are