*Speaking Out Against Anti-Dalit Atrocities* * *
*By Bhanwar Meghwanshi* *(Translated by Yoginder Sikand)* It is sometimes claimed that the practice of untouchability in India’s villages is declining, that Hindu society is becoming less hierarchical, and that as people become more educated they are becoming less prejudiced against Dalits. But all this, I have to say, is empty talk. In actual fact, there has been hardly any change in the attitude of the ‘upper’ castes towards the Dalits. In fact, ‘upper’ caste communities have devised new methods of oppressing Dalits, because of which even today Dalits in rural India continue to lead harrowing lives, being regularly subjected to insult and torment. However, at the same time, Dalits are bravely reacting, in a non-violent manner, against the treatment meted out to them. This is certainly an indication of Dalit awakening and also quite possibly the beginning of a future caste-struggle. Bhilwara district in Rajasthan tops the country’s charts in terms of atrocities against women, and is also regarded as very sensitive in terms of the communal situation, with Muslims living under great fear of Hindu chauvinists. Moreover, Dalits and Adivasis, who form a large proportion of the district’s population, suffer all sorts of indignities. In most cases, Dalits and Adivasis who, subjected to atrocities, dare turn to the police for succor, are turned away, with the police refusing to entertain their complaints. And, in the relatively few cases where the police do register such complaints they deliberately do not do so under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act so that the perpetrators of these crimes are easily let off. This is because of the feudal-minded elements in the police force, who believe that Dalits and Adivasis are habitual liars and that they are easily provoked to register false cases against others. Naturally, then, under such circumstances, Dalits and Adivasis have little hope of securing justice from a hostile administrative machinery. That is why most cases of atrocities against Dalits do not even reach the level of local police stations, leave alone the courts. In this grim situation, some Dalits have determined that the only way to secure justice is to boldly assert themselves. That is precisely what an intrepid man from Dhunwala village in Bhilwara’s Mandal *tehsil*, recently decided to do. Chhagan Lal Dhobhi, a denizen of this village, is a government school teacher and a committed Ambedkarite activist. He returned to Dhunwala after working elsewhere for 20 years. Once back in his village, he devoted himself to helping others, having had a rich activist experience earlier as a teacher in Gangapur, also in Bhilwara, through the Ambedkar Vichar Manch. After much struggle, he and his colleagues were able to have a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar installed at the main crossroads in Gangapur. When he returned to his village and continued with his social activism there, the conservative elements in the village were enraged. They simply could not tolerate the sight of a Dalit acting in this way. And so they began plotting for a way to ‘show him his place’ and demean him. It so happened that the village’s middle-school decided to celebrate Republic Day, and for this purpose it sent out a note to various notable people in the village, requesting them to sign it and signal their willingness to participate in the function. Some Hindutva-minded Savarna Hindu village youth spotted the note and noticed that at the top of the list of names mentioned therein was that of Chaggan Lal Dhobhi. This set them into an angered frenzy. How could a Dalit’s name top the list? At once they went to the headmaster of the school and expressed their anger. ‘Why have you mentioned the name of a Dhobhi on top of the list? Are we upper caste people lower than him?’, they asked. They told the principal that there was no need at all for Chaggan Lal Dhobhi to grace the dais during the function. Thereafter, this band of anti-Dalit youth met the woman *sarpanch* of the village and registered the same complaint. An ex-member of the district council, Hardev Jat, echoing their view, thundered, ‘Till today, no low-caste man has sat together with us. Nor has any low-caste person entered the village temple. But now this Dalit teacher is being made to sit above us! It is preposterous that a Dhobhi will sit on the stage while the [Rajput] Kunwar Sahib will sit below him! We will not let this happen. Our village must continue in the ways of our ancestors.’ The team of ‘brave Hindu’, pro-BJP and anti-Dalit youth announced that if their demand was not met, they would create trouble. They left no stone unturned in stirring tension in the village. In the face of these developments, the village *sarpanch* called Chhagan Lal Dhobi and explained to him what had happened. Chhagan Lal Dhobhi was saddened, but he was also determined that keeping quiet was not an option. He was sure he had to boldly respond. He told the *sarpanch* that whether or not he was invited to the function, he would certainly participate in the event commemorating Republic Day, which, he said, signified the enforcement of the Indian Constitution, which had been penned under the presidentship of Babasaheb Ambedkar. And not just that, he also insisted that he would sit on the dais, adding that if anyone opposed him coming to the dais or speaking on the occasion, he would take stern legal action against him under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for violating his civil rights. Confronted with Chhagan Lal Dhobi’s firm resolve, the Manuvadis of the village had to shut up and could do nothing to stop him. Not only did Chhagan Lal Dhobhi attend the function but he also ascended the dais and even delivered a speech. The opposition of the Savarnas had stirred something deep inside Chhagan Lal Dhobhi. He took it to be an insult to the entire Dalit community, and not simply a personal affair. Hence, he mobilized all the Dalit castes living in Dhunwala village, including Bairwas, Raigars, Balais, Khatiks, Dhobhis and Valmikis, and these people collectively decided that they would not help the other castes of the village in any way. They also decided that henceforth the different Dalit castes in Dhunwala would solve their problems among themselves, that they would consult each other and decide whom to vote for and that they would rely on themselves for their own development. The conservative elements of Dhunwala are, naturally, incensed with this decision of the Dalits. It is said that they are waiting for an opportunity to teach them a lesson. But, at the same time, the local Dalit youth are elated, for Chhagan Lal Dhobhi’s bravery has enabled them to experience for the very first time what it might mean to break free from centuries of slavery. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
