Parity for Dalits: An unfulfilled dream

Seventy-five years after Independence, Dalits continue to be at the receiving end of oppressive tactics by members of the “upper castes” and there is obviously no let-up in the discrimination despite heart-rending incidents like the suicide of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula back in 2016, shocking the conscience of the nation.

On Sunday afternoon, it happened again. Darshan Solanki, a BTech student at IIT, Bombay, jumped from the seventh floor of his hostel building to kill himself with a study circle at the IIT claiming that it was an ‘institutional murder’ as the institute did not care to make the learning space inclusive for Dalits and Adivasi students. No less shocking was the news that filtered in from the Jain University in Namma Bengaluru where nine people including seven students have been detained for the allegedly derogatory remarks made on the architect of the Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar in a skit they presented during a college fest.

Such happenings make one wonder if anything has really changed as far as the Dalit-upper caste connect is concerned in free India. Or is the caste divide growing deeper and deeper with political and social groupings inevitably woven around caste and religious identities? Are more and more Vemulas waiting to happen in a country where the first aspect taken into account by most political parties as they go about candidate selection is the caste the candidate belongs to – a dominant one or an insignificant one? For those who man newsrooms in dailies, no day passes without having to grapple with at least a few reports about Dalits being discriminated against.

They could pertain to Dalits excluded from drinking at the village well; Dalit workers being assaulted; a Dalit boy being beaten up in school for no fault of his by an upper caste teacher; of cow urine being used to ‘purify’ a tank a Dalit woman had taken water from or of Dalits being trashed for “touching” food at a wedding,

In the formative years after freedom when idealism was at a new high, our great leaders had envisioned a free, liberal and secular citizenry that could break the barriers of caste and community and build a nation worthy of their dreams. The preamble of the Constitution could not have put it more succinctly declaring that social, economic and political justice, liberty of thought, equality of status and fraternity would be the cornerstones of the sovereign democratic republic we were setting out to build.

Yet over the decades since freedom, due to the machinations of casteist groups, political parties and jingoistic leaders, we are slowly but steadily descending into a caste-driven quagmire where every decision – political or economic – is determined by the implications it would have on caste equations. If things are to ever change, the impetus has to come from the young and upcoming generation who have no qualms about cocking a snook at anything they consider an affront to their free and liberal spirit.

Laws that prescribe punishment for any offence involving violation of a Dalit’s dignity could be made stricter, so that they serve as an effective deterrent and nip in the bud any thoughts people may have of getting away lightly after engaging in anti-Dalit acts. It also calls for a comprehensive shakeup in the mindset of the bureaucracy as there have been instances of officials turning a blind eye to incidents where Dalit rights are infringed upon, probably under pressure from dominant upper castes.

A free democratic nation, unfettered by the barriers of caste and religion, is something every Indian aspires for as we celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. But going by the atrocities committed against Dalits, that dream could take an eternity to fulfil.