The practice of “untouchability” — the imposition of social disabilities on people by reason of their birth into a particular caste — remains very much a part of the Indian caste system (particularly in the Hindu society), the world’s longest surviving social hierarchy. An Amnesty International report has attacked India for its “hidden apartheid” against over 160 million Dalits (or “untouchables”, as they prefer not to be called). Amnesty has given a voice to the plight of these people and has given its backing to various NGOs campaigning on behalf of their cause. Mahatma Gandhi campaigned against “untouchability”, though he believed in the ideal “Chaturvarna” (classification of four) system of caste hierarchy. But it was his foresight that saved the Hindu society from disintegration in the sense that he conceded political representation to the Dalits and tribals. Gandhiji’s effort, through legislation, led to the abolishment of “untouchability” in the country in 1950. But the fact is that even today, Dalits continue to be discriminated against on the basis of their birth. They suffer political, educational and economic deprivation. The Dalits, by whichever names one chooses to call them, are still treated as socially unequal and constitute an economically deprived class. They brave near-complete social ostracization and mostly live in extreme poverty, without opportunities for better employment or education. Although this discrimination is found everywhere, it’s most rampant in the rural areas. Dalits are subjected to segregation and usually relegated to the most menial jobs in society. They are subject to torture, rape, arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial executions. They also suffer violence in the community. In some places, they are not even allowed to enter temples or draw water from wells controlled by upper castes. Surprisingly, all such abuses against them mostly go unpunished, with police frequently refusing to record complaints made by them. Much evidence points toward a connivance between powerful upper caste groups and the police in violent attacks against Dalits. These people are vulnerable to a whole range of human rights abuses because of their birth. Their representation in the civil services and elected office is almost invisible. But of course, they form the backbone of the country’s sanitation workforce. The government statistics says an estimated one million Dalits are manual scavengers (a majority of them women), who clear feces from public and private latrines and dispose of dead animals. Unofficial estimates are much higher. If we take into account the government statistics, the enrollment of Dalit children in schools is less than 15 percent, against 83 percent for higher-caste children. Stories about the atrocities against Dalits run almost daily in the newspapers back in India. Recently, police in Uttar Pradesh said two young people were hanged by their parents to prevent them from marrying outside their castes. Phoolan Devi was shot dead after she had sought to reinvent herself as a champion of the lower castes. Furthermore, an estimated 40 million people in the country, among them 15 million children, are working in inhuman conditions as bonded labor. Illiteracy still plagues almost two-thirds of the Dalit population. Most of them are landless agricultural laborers — constituting about 86 percent of the community. The recent spate of starvation deaths in Orissa is another pointer to this burning issue. The government has also failed to implement reservations for the lower castes. Of the total scheduled caste reservation quota in the central government, 54 percent remains unfilled. More than 88 percent of posts reserved in the public sector remain unfilled as do 45 percent in state banks. Since the early 1990s, violence against Dalits has escalated dramatically in response to growing Dalit rights movements. Some 90,925 cases of crimes against scheduled castes were registered across the country between 1995 and 1997, a human rights report says. Of late, they are getting free examination coaching and finance from the government for different types of things. But even then the statistics clearly show that they have a long way to go before they become equal partners in the national mainstream, before they really share power and effectively participate in decision-making process. Amnesty has simply put before the world what is happening in India for decades now. And certainly, the state cannot avoid responsibility for such violations. Despite this, the Indian government has used every method to keep the Dalit issue out of the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban (WCAR), which started on Friday. Instead of hiding these social pathos behind tall claims and hollow rhetoric the government should recognize the historical wrongs, both as an acknowledgment of past injustice and to avoid any repetition in the future. The government should monitor and publicize the extent to which laws to end caste discrimination have been implemented and allocate adequate funds for programs for the socio-economic and educational support of socially underprivileged communities. The government should also ensure greater participation by affected communities in civil administration. Then only we can realize the dream of a caste-less society, with equal opportunities for all; irrespective of their caste or creed, language or color. Otherwise, in present situation, abolition of caste discrimination in India remains a distant dream.
