DISCRIMINATION IN INDIA

CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION IN INDIA

The Indian economy is now one of the world’s biggest. Everywhere in the country, there are new roads, new airports, new infrastructure. But in many places, especially in poorer rural areas, caste
infrastructure is still the one that counts. And those who rebel
against it, are often greeted with unchecked brutality. It is
violence intended to send a message, pain inflicted to
maintain India’s old social order. The crimes are happening
across the country and Dalits are not simply killed: They are
humiliated, tortured, disfigured, destroyed. We may talk about India being a world power, a global power, sending satellites into space. “But the outside world has an
image of India we don’t know. As long as Hinduism is strong, caste will be strong, and as long as there is caste, there will be
lower caste,”. Many analysts blame the political parties , whose Hindu
supremacist roots have lead it’s supporters to lash out at
minorities, often in the name of Hinduism, One example is the
rash of people beaten up or killed for slaughtering cows.
India's caste system is perhaps the world's longest surviving
social hierarchy. A defining feature of Hinduism, caste
encompasses a complex ordering of social groups on the basis
of ritual purity. A person is considered a member of the caste
into which he or she is born and remains within that caste until
death, although the particular ranking of that caste may vary
among regions and over time. Differences in status are
traditionally justified by the religious doctrine of karma, a
belief that one's place in life is determined by one's deeds in
previous lifetimes. Traditional scholarship has described this more than
2,000-year-old system within the context of the four principal
varnas, or large caste categories. In order of precedence these
are the Brahmins (priests and teachers), the KSyatriyas (rulers
and soldiers), the Vaisyas (merchants and traders), and the
Shudras (laborers and artisans). A fifth category falls outside
the varna system and consists of those known as
"untouchables" or Dalits; they are often assigned tasks too
ritually polluting to merit inclusion within the traditional varna
system.7 Almost identical structures are also visible in Nepal.8
Despite its constitutional abolition in 1950, the practice of "Untouchability"-the imposition of social disabilities on
persons by reason of birth into a particular caste- remains very
much a part of rural India. Representing over one-sixth of
India's population-or some 160 million people-Dalits endure
near complete social ostracization. "Untouchables" may not
cross the line dividing their part of the village from that
occupied by higher castes. They may not use the same wells, visit the same temples, or drink from the same cups in tea
stalls. Dalit children are frequently made to sit at the back of
classrooms. In what has been called India's "hidden
apartheid," entire villages in many Indian states remain
completely segregated by caste. "Untouchability" is reinforced by state allocation of resources
and facilities; separate facilities are provided for separate
caste-based neighborhoods. Dalits often receive the poorer of
the two, if they receive any at all. In many villages, the state
administration installs electricity, sanitation facilities, and
water pumps in the upper-caste section, but neglects to do
the same in the neighboring, segregated Dalit area. Basic
amenities such as water taps and wells are also segregated, and medical facilities and the better, thatched-roof houses
exist exclusively in the upper-caste colony. discrimination in the society, especially in rural areas, is still in
existence. So-called untouchables cannot even enter the
houses of the people of so-called higher and middle-class
castes. On one hand, they are socially suppressed by the upper
classes and, on the other hand, they suffer from poverty; the
intensity of poverty seems to be higher in socially backward
people. Most Dalits in India also continue to live in extreme poverty, without land or opportunities for better employment or
education. With the exception of a minority who have
benefited from India's policy of quotas in education and
government jobs, Dalits are relegated to the most menial of
tasks as removers of human waste and dead animals, leather
workers, street sweepers, and cobblers. According to
government statistics, an estimated one million Dalits in India
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. Dalit
children make up the majority of children sold into bondage
to pay off debts to upper-caste creditors. Lower-caste women are singularly positioned at the bottom of
caste, class, and gender hierarchies. Largely uneducated and
consistently paid less than their male counterparts worldwide
they invariably bear the brunt of exploitation, discrimination, and physical attacks. Sexual abuse and other forms of violence
against women are often used by landlords. For decades, India has struggled to de-weaponize caste. When
the Constitution was being written in the late 1940s, intellectuals knew caste was a sore spot that needed to be
urgently addressed.
In 2016The crime rate against dalits rose to 20.3% from 16.3
crimes per 100,000 dalits in 2006 according to National Crime
Records Bureau data. Meanwhile the crime rte against AADIVASI or ST’s declined
from 6.9% in 2006 to 6.3 % in 2016. However, cases pending police investigation for both
marginalized groups has risen by 99% and 55% respectively.
CASES
1. A group of upper caste men surrounded A DALIT family of
four SUREKHA, 17 year old daughter PRIYANKA, and two sons
ROSHAN and SUDHIR, and were dragged out , the women
were stripped beaten and paraded through the village, and
the men were beaten so badly that their faces disfigured. All
four DIED. Their crime was- they had objected to their land
being used as a throughway by upper caste farmer. 2. a 14-year-old Dalit girl was beheaded by an upper-caste
man whose wife said he hated the girl specifically because of
her caste. 3. a Dalit man was killed by higher-caste men for riding a
horse (traditionally, Dalits aren’t supposed to do that). 4. .A 13-year-old boy, from a Dalit community in Gujarat, was
beaten for wearing a pair of leather shoe
5. two men from a Dalit community were killed by
upper-caste Hindus for sitting cross-legged in front of them
during a temple ritual. 6. Pregnant Woman Killed For Touching Bucket Of
Upper-Caste Man
7. Madhukar 48, was killed by 12 upper-caste men for
digging a well on his land, which was surrounded by lands
owned by them. Discrimination is the form of difference created on the basis of
social, economic and political standing. There are different
forms of discrimination based on, gender, class, religion, ethnicity etc.
We as Teacher plays an important role in shaping
the society, and working at an individual level
Discrimination can be prevented from our society if
we as teachers follow the following steps:
(i) Teaching concept of love and peace from primary level of
education. (ii) Teaching how to respect everyone. (iii) Teach how to lead a life in a dignified manner. (iv) Integration among the communities, classes etc. (v) Discrimination declared as a crime. (vi) Say the words and practice the behavior you want children
to imitate. As teachers, we have a huge influence on students
and their views.