INDIA: no place for children: post-2006 Nithari Case.
INDIA: no place for women: post-December 16 Gang rape.
INDIA: no place for Dalits: since time immemorial.
The statements above summarize the harsh reality of India. The largest democracy in the world is soon turning into the hotbed of intolerance. The dark period of American slavery passed away long back; when will India do the same? The question remains. The majority of the population of Indian Dalits are still choking under the weight of slavery in the country.
Though incidents of violence against women, children, and oppression of the Dalits is no new soup, the increasing incidents of violence against them are putting a gory blot on India’s character, gory than any blood. Liberty has long been assassinated in India, and democracy wounded. The right to claim one’s right, too, has suffered a fatal blow. The assault of the Dalit couple in Noida, the burning of two Dalit children in Sunpedh, Harayana. The comparison of Dalits to dogs on the street by a party leader, the internet, and television abounds with examples of atrocity and intolerance against the Dalits.
According to the NCRB, crimes against Dalits have risen to 19% from last year, roughly amounting to 47,000 more crimes than last time. And any half-educated person would know that if these are the official statistics, the actual records are bound to be 4 to 5 times more. ‘Caste-based’ rapes are the most common types of rapes in India, and following the events in the news, one may conclude that if you are a minority caste in India, sexual assault is sure to come your way in some manner.
A post on ‘ refinery29.com’ reports that sexual exploitation in Harayana is such that the popular saying there goes like this, “a Jat cannot know what his land tastes like until he tastes the Dalit women living there.” It is not uncommon for Dalit brides to sleep with their landlords rather than their husbands on the first night after their marriage. If these are the conditions in the initial stages, think of the aftermath. Another post talks about how after successfully clearing a job interview at one of India’s leading marketing firms, a female candidate is refused the job on revealing that she belonged to the Dalit community. Imagine!
Why exactly did this happen? Because in both cases, the females belonged to the lower castes?
Because most upper castes in India consider it their privilege and prerogative to trample onto the dignity of the lower castes? It might sound uncanny, but a peep into our own homes and we’d find that all the labor class from the sweeper to the maid belong to the lower castes. Has anyone ever seen an upper-caste Brahmin work at the same designation?
A considerable section of the Indian masses opposes reservation for minorities. The government of the day, too, seems to sing the same tune due to a recent demand of scraping reservations in higher learning institutions to ensure ‘just’ opportunities for all. But does the ‘general’ population of the country understand the reason for this reservation?
For 3000 years, a section the Indian society was denied its basic rights of education, freedom, and dignity. As they are better known as the minorities in India, untouchables were denied the basic privilege of being a human. We know of the injustice and slavery meted out to them on the surface, but if one goes deeper than that, the details are bound to leave anyone shocked and ashamed.
The recent happenings in the country very well give a picture that it is for this very reason that Dalit Bahujans of our country need and deserve reservations. They are entitled to a decent and peaceful life as guaranteed to every Indian citizen on the constitution. One cannot undo 3000 years of injustice in some 60 years. And keeping pace with the daily occurrences in the country, even a kid would know that they aren’t being undone.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
