There are discriminated people all over the world, but nowhere have the natives, known as dalits in India, the sons of their own soil, been treated as animals for thousands of years under the Varna system.
Caste based discrimination, also called untouchability, is a socio-economic, political and
religious reality which every Indian encounters daily from birth till death. By law all Indians are equal, but
in practice, some Indians should not and cannot be equal with the upper
caste people.
The Indian society is deeply based on castes and our institutions, press, banks
judiciary, and administration are caste based. Universities, police and even the military practices it. It would not be incorrect to say that no dalit can become the
Prime Minister of India. Therefore, if democracy, socialism,
liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice are to grow, casteism
must die.
Lord Buddha was the first person who
revolted against this inhumane ideology. Buddha declared caste as a man made phenomenon. All human
are born equal. The gospel that Buddha preached refuted the concept of caste, and degradation. He
challenged the authority of the Vedas and supremacy of the Brahmin.
Brethretha, the grandson of Ashoka, was brutally murdered by Pusupa Mittra
Sunga a Brahmin army general of the Brethretha in about 185 B.C.E. and he
reestablished Brahaminism in the Indian sub-continent. Thus started the torture and suffering of the dalits. Pusupa Mittra not only killed Buddhist bhikhshues
and scholars, he also burnt famous centers of learning at Nalanda and Takshla (Texla) destroying nearly two hundred thousands manuscripts. Pusupa Mittra was responsible for creating the anti-Buddha and pro-varna literature called Manusmriti (Code of Hindus).
When Kavash, Shambhuka, Eklavya and Babrik challenged it,
their hands and feet were cut off and they were brutally murdered to discourage others from rebelling against it. Only during the Mughal rule dalits were given the opportunity to participate in the social, economic, political, and cultural spheres. As a
result of this openness Khusro Bhangi become the emperor of India. However, with the conspiracy of the upper castes and the mughals he was murdered.
The shudra and atisudra saints revolted against brahminical
traditions and challenged the supremacy and hegemony of the
brahmins. The upper castes, with the help of Mughal rulers,
persecuted them. When the sudras -- Alwar and Bhaktas in south
India and Basawa and Bouls in west Bengal -- revolted against brahmanical
social order, they were harassed and boycotted by the upper caste people.
Tuka Ram was drowned in the river, Chokhamela was forced to provide carvee,
Baba Namdev was thrashed, Guru Ravi Dass was put in jail,
Satguru Kabir was tied up and put before a mad elephant. A murderous
attempt was made on Guru Nanak, and Guru Gobind Singh and his family was
martyred. Satnamis were massacred. Mahatma Phooley's house was demolished.
Virsa Munda was martyred. Gobind Guru was put in jail. Narayan Guru faced
violence, Shahu Maharaj and his family survived an attempted murder,
Swami Achhuta Nand was insulted, E.V.Rama Swami was forced to
resign from presidentship, Babu Mangoo Ram survived death through
poisoning, Sant Sawaran Dass was harassed, and Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar was
insulted all his life.
Daltis are a persecuted people in India. For ensuring
the all round development of dalits, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes,
backwards classes, and the minorities some safeguards have been provided in the constitution, which came in to existence on 25 November 1949. However, the constitution has not been able to prevent the atrocities against dalits. There is a difference between the Constitution and the centuries old practice of castes. Although legally all opportunities are available to dalits the casteist outlook of many Indians prevents them from benefiting from it. Even after the fifty-three years of the Indian constitution, all government and state machinery, courts and administrational posts are controlled by the upper castes. They never bothered about these laws and constitutional safeguards. The upper castes are more interested in changing the
constitution to their advantage than implementing it.
There are about three hundred million dalits in India who continually suffer brutality, rape, and destruction of their property. Every year twenty five thousand cases of atrocities
against dalits are reported to the police, and almost an equal number of
atrocities go unreported. In August 1991, in the village Chundur (Andhra Pradesh) twenty-three dalits were murdered by the upper castes, their bodies were put into gunny bags and then thrown away. Not much help comes from the police who are almost always answerable to the upper castes. In the village Kumher (Rajasthan) in June 1992, six thousand Hindu jats mercilessly killed sixty innocent dalit men and
young dalit girls were gang-raped. Sticks and sharp instruments were
inserted in their genitals.
The upper caste Ranvir Sena shot dead seventy innocent dalits in Lashamanpur Bathe in Bihar in December 1997. On 12 July 1997, the BJP/Shiv Sena police shot and killed ten innocent dalits and wounded several in Ramabai Ambedkar Colony (Ghatkopar, Bombay). Mr. Varhade, president of the Voice of Dalit International, while addressing delegates in the United Nations Assembly Hall in June
1993, stated that every two hours untouchables are assaulted in India, three untouchable women and children are raped daily, two untouchables are murdered every day, and two untouchables' houses are burned daily.
It was reported in the People's Union for Civil Liberty bulletin (August 1995) that more than 62,000 atrocities on dalits and minorities were inflicted during 1992-93.
Mr. Hanumanthappa, former chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes, reported in the Dalit International
Newsletter of June 1997, published from USA, that 35,262 atrocities on Dalits
were inflicted during 1995. Last year’s violence at Talhan in
Jalandhar, Hasanpur in Sangrur, Aligarh in Ludhiana that were witnessed in
Punjab, and Dulina in Haryana are the result of a deep rooted casteist mindset of the Indian people.
Undoubtedly, the condition of dalits in India
is horrible and their future is dark. There is no place for mercy and
compassion for a dalits in the hearts of upper caste people. The dalits shall be
doomed if they fail to get support of the international community It is clear from the above discussion that none of the
political leaders, parties – nationalists, socialists, communists or
Marxists – has brought about a social revolution on the same scale as Dr. Ambedkar who felt that without annihilation of the caste
system, social equality cannot be restore and without social equality,
economic and political equality can never be achieved.
Suggestions for the State
For eliminating the caste system, following steps should be taken seriously:
1. A vast number of SC and ST population is ignorant of the policies
of the Government, laws and development schemes intended for
their benefit. As a result they do not know how to fight for their rights.
2. A separate independent ministry of rehabilitation for the dalits and
native tribes must be urgently constituted, to devote its energy exclusively for their
economic empowerment, and the full implementation of reservation policies in the
central and state government agencies as well as the private sector.
3. To nationalize the land, similar to nationalizing of the banks. This will ensure
that dalits will have land as a source of livelihood. In addition, the
dalits must be given physical possession of the land.
4. Small scale industrial development for dalits, which includes low
interest rate loans and many other human resource programs, especially in
education and high technology.
5. Child labor and bonded labor to be abolished in practice immediately
by a presidential order.
6. The Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes should be empowered with high court judicial powers, so it can act as a monitoring and implementing body, as per the constitutional provisions,
annually producing progress reports. Fill all class backlogs
within the next 2 years.
7. Reservation in judiciary (High Courts and the Supreme Court)
per the constitutional quota of 22.5%, effective immediately and to be filled
within a two year period.
8. In India, since 1990, both employment and poverty levels have increased but the number of dalit employees has decreased. In the private sector, dalits are the last to be hired and the first to be fired. This is because of caste prejudice
against them. Reservation in private sector in proportion to dalit
population, per the constitutional provisions, should be provided
immediately.
Reacting to the negative impact of the Indian government's new economic reform
policy on the dalits, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes Chairman, Dr. H. Hanumanthappa urged the government to
extend job reservations to joint and private sector companies, loans,
special permits, and tax relief.
9. Landless dalits be made self-sustaining through micro-financing.
10. Free and compulsory education up to the age of fourteen. This is a constitutional
obligation. It must be made effective and fully operational immediately.
11. National Finance Corporation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes
should provide adequate funding for economic independence of the dalits,
simplify the procedure and direct the state governments for utilization per
year.
12. Social welfare ministry, working with other central ministeries, should take legal action against those who
are violating the laws concerning land reform, reservation, banking, etc.
13. Twenty percent of the central and state budget must be fixed for dalit
upliftment.
14. Encourage inter-caste marriages by awarding such marriages.
15. January 26 be declared as Dr. Ambedkar's Constitution Day.
Here I want to remind all of Ambedkar’s famous words as the
chairman of the constitutional Drafting Committee.
“On 26th January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of
contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and
economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognized by
the principle of one man, one vote and one value. In our social and
economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure,
continue to be denied the principle of one man, one value.
“How long shall
we continue to lead this life of contradiction? How long shall we continue
to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny
it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in
peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or
else those who suffer for inequality will blow up the structure of
political democracy which this assembly has so laboriously built up.”
Suggestions to intellectuals
Thus, the onus is now left with the dalit intellectuals. Until and unless we fight
vigorously for our own rights, no one is going to give it to us. As Dr. Ambedkar wrote in his editorial in Bahiskrit Bharat on 27th November 1927 wrote.
“Lost rights are never regained by begging and by appeals to the conscience
of the usurpers, but by relentless struggle . . . Goats are used for
sacrificial offering and not lions.”
Dalit intellectuals cannot remain on the sidelines. They are the eyes and
ears of ordinary dalits, and must continue to be vigilant in championing
dalit issues rather than their own personal agendas.
Suggestions for the leaders
The Scheduled Caste and Tribe Parliamentary Forum must take more
aggressive approach to Dalit issues in parliamentary debates, especially
those on the report of National Commission on Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
The Forum must make sure that the above two reports are brought up
annually and on time. Its recommendations are to be carried out. The
ministries are responsible only to the members of Parliament. Thus, our
dalit members of parliament have to be more hawkish. They must also work in
coordination with dalit intellectuals and consult them on various issues.
Suggestions for social activists
Those who are the sufferers of this system must unite and
capture political power. Political power is the master key, which will
open all the locks of social, economic and cultural exploitation. When people have power they have control. A well-executed plan that encourages education, employment, agriculture and industrialization, inter-caste marriages, urbanization of rural areas will surely kill casteism from society.
I also appeal to bahujan dalits, scheduled caste and tribes, backward classes, and
the minorities to rise and revolt against this discriminating and organize themselves so we can unite and achieve political power and then implement the provisions of the Indian constitution.
