News Analysis |
A 25-year-old Dalit youth, Vikash was beaten up and a bid made to set him afire by some youths late on Saturday at Mirchpur village, in the district, which had witnessed arson about eight years back. Vikash has been admitted at a private hospital in Hisar and doctors have declared him unfit for giving a statement. Police are investigating the matter but no case has been registered yet.
Balwan Singh, a resident of Mirchpur village, said his brother Rajkumar’s son Vikash runs a shop in the village. Late on Saturday, some youths of Balmiki Basti came to his house and told him that Vikash had been thrashed. When he reached the basti he saw Vikash lying unconscious while his clothes were smelling of diesel. He said the people present there said four to five youths started a fight with Vikash and later sprinkled diesel on him and even tried to push him into a vehicle.
Hindutva groups especially the RSS, has been instrumental in perpetrating and protecting atrocities against Dalits which is why few Dalits are found among the Sangh Parivar ranks.
They further said when they ran towards the youths, the latter left the car and fled. After receiving the information, the police reached the spot and impounded the car. Narnaund police station in-charge Sadhu Ram said no case had been registered so far. Meanwhile, Mirchpur police post-in-charge Lalit Kumar said the injured youth was not fit for statement and case would be registered only after taking his statement.
The Dalit are one of the most marginalized groups in the country, a legacy of the now-outlawed caste system which stratified Indian society for generations. Dalits have long protested against their low-caste status in the Hindu social hierarchy. There are more than 200 million Dalits living in India, which is nearly a fifth of the population. They have every right to be angry. It seems to indicate that the Indian establishment does not pay attention to address the Dalits’ concerns seriously. In recent times they have become extremely vocal in pursuit of their rights.
Read more:Â Dalit arrests show the abuse of Indian police system
Dilip Saroj, 24, a Dalit second-year law student at the Allahabad Degree College was killed after being beaten with sticks, iron rods and bricks on February 10, 2018. According to Times of India, Dilip and his three friends went to have dinner at a restaurant named Kalika in Katra where they had an argument with a group that became violent afterward.
After this brutal killing, student activists from Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha (SYS) and All India Students Association (AISA) protested by staging a dharna in front of police headquarters. The opposition parties protested against BJP’s politics against the Dalits. They continue to criticize BJP on many instances similar to this.
Balwan Singh, a resident of Mirchpur village, said his brother Rajkumar’s son Vikash runs a shop in the village. Late on Saturday, some youths of Balmiki Basti came to his house and told him that Vikash had been thrashed.
With the ascendancy of Hindutva through the BJP, the Scheduled castes known as Dalits have witnessed a storm of violence by Saffron terrorists who mostly belong to the upper castes. It is noteworthy to mention that Hindutva was initiated by High caste Hindus in response to an assertion of rights by Lower caste Hindus. This is why many critics mainly Dalit academics term Hindutva to be an engine of Brahminist supremacy. Many Dalit activists view the Brahmin supremacy called Brahminism as their enemy and the Holy Text Manu Smriti as the religio-legal authority institutionalizing lower caste oppression.
Read more:Â 100 Dalits renounce Hinduism due to BJP
While anti-Brahmin tendencies are also present in other castes of Hinduism like the feudal caste dominated Justice Party in 1916, by Priyar E.V. Ramaswami in Tamil Nadu which gradually destroyed the monopoly of Brahmins over education and the administrative services. However, Dalit activism has been the most steadfast foe of Brahmin supremacy which has led them to a path of conflict with Hindutva itself.
That can be asserted to be the reason behind the special focus of Saffron terrorists against Dalits. While Hindutva leaders outwardly espouse anti Caste system views and call for Hindu unity, the reality has been quite the opposite. Hindutva groups especially the RSS, has been instrumental in perpetrating and protecting atrocities against Dalits which is why few Dalits are found among the Sangh Parivar ranks.