Australian News Agency to Document Maharashtra's Fight Against Jaat Panchayats

After an honour killing case in Nashik in 2013, the fight against Jaat panchayat was started. The movement soon got stronger and spread throughout the state. Taking notice of this the Australian government has decided to document this movement. Krishna Chandgude, state functionary of Jaat Panchayat Muthmati Abhiyaan or Jaat Panchayat Eradication Campaign has said that the Australian Government has approached them and will soon make a short film on the struggle of movement against the Jaat Panchayat.

Ten years ago Dr Narendra Dabholkar started the activities against Jaat Panchayat from Nashik. As a result, it revealed the grim reality of casteism in Maharashtra. Judgments based on superstitions, cases of inhuman punishment, types of caste exclusion, financial penalties, exploitation in the name of caste purification and other things were covered by the media.

The Andha Shraddha Nirmulan Samiti that (ANIS) was successful in abolishing caste panchayats on a large scale across the state. The Maharashtra government enacted the Anti-Social Boycott Act against the arbitrary nature of caste panchayats. Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to enact such a law.

Now, the Australian government's news channel Special Broadcasting Services (SBS) is going to produce a short film against the caste panchayat abuses. Their representatives recently discussed this with Krishna Chandgude. Soon Australian artists and technicians will come to different parts of Nashik and Maharashtra and shoot this fight. They will meet the victims of Jaat Panchayat.