23.06.24.UT NEWS.Untouchables News.chennai.by Team Sivaji.
Mayawati demands strict action against police over Dalit man’s death in custody
“The police should immediately release the innocent people who raised their voice against this incident and also withdraw the cases filed against them. This is the demand of BSP,” she wrote on X.
MAYANK KUMAR
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Saturday demanded strict action against the police for the death of a Dalit man who was lodged in the Firozabad district jail. Akash, 25, was remanded in judicial custody in connection with a theft case and died in a hospital on Friday.
“The way a Dalit prisoner was killed in a jail in Firozabad district is very sad. The government should take strict action against the guilty police personnel and provide full help to the victim’s family. The police should immediately release the innocent people who raised their voice against this incident and also withdraw the cases filed against them. This is the demand of BSP,” she wrote on X.
The Uttar Pradesh Police lodged an FIR against 45 named and 50 unidentified accused for rioting over the death of Akash. He was taken to a hospital after his condition deteriorated in the jail.
Akash’s family has alleged that he died after being beaten by the police. Following the post-mortem on Friday, some people attacked the police and vandalised.
Mahayuti needs to accommodate Dalits, minorities to win assembly polls, says Athawale
Mumbai, Jun 22 (PTI) Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday advised the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ alliance in Maharashtra to accommodate Dalits and minorities to win the assembly elections.
Talking to reporters here, Athawale said his Republican Party of India (Athawale) would seek eight to ten seats for the state polls due in October. Maharashtra has 288 assembly seats.
The ruling alliance comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP headed by Ajit Pawar.
“We also want one MLC seat in the biennial elections to the legislative council scheduled next month,” he said.
In the proposed cabinet expansion in the state, RPI (A) should get a ministerial berth, the Dalit leader said.
Athawale said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured him that his demands would be considered. “I hope he seriously considers our demands,” he said.
Athawale, who was retained as a minister of state in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said he expected a Cabinet berth, but many other allies also needed to be accommodated.
“Being a minister at the Centre for the last eight years, I have been able to expand my party elsewhere in the country,” he said.
Athawale said he wanted his party to contest from Shirdi and Solapur in the Lok Sabha polls but the BJP did not consider their request.
“We (BJP-led NDA) expected 40 seats (in Maharashtra) but got 17 in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
He said the opposition’s narrative that the BJP would change the Constitution if it got over 400 seats misled Dalit voters, referring to the NDA’s subpar performance in the general elections.
There is not much difference between the vote shares of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti, he said.
“Dalits and minorities need to be brought into the fold of Mahayuti to win assembly polls. I will put this point in the meeting of Mahayuti leaders,” he said, stressing that the ruling alliance can win the polls if there is unity.
He said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had the backing of most MLAs, hence the Election Commission ruled their groups as real Shiv Sena and NCP, respectively.
Maratha and OBC quotas, which are currently under the spotlight, are important issues, said the RPI (A) head, adding that Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange should be invited to the all-party meeting next week.
He also rued that his efforts for Dalit unity had not succeeded. “If Prakash Ambedkar of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) agrees, I am ready to work under him,” he said. PTI MR NR
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Courtesy : The Print
MP: Dalit Family’s Hut Demolished Amid Bribery, Immoral Demand Allegations
Woman claims hut demolished over refusal to pay Rs. 2 lakh bribe. She alleged that the sarpanch and district panchayat member threatened them with eviction and used casteist slurs. Despite reporting the issue to local authorities, no action was taken to prevent the demolition.
Jaiprakash Telkar
Pipaliya Station (Madhya Pradesh): A Dalit woman from Kangatti village of Malhargar tehsil in Mandsaur district has accused the village authorities of demolishing her hut and imprisoning her husband over refusal to pay a Rs 2 lakh bribe and rejecting immoral demands.
Karibai, the complainant, stated that she and her husband, Dashrath Bawari, have been living below the poverty line with their five daughters in a hut on Malhargarh Road for the past 20 years. She alleged that the sarpanch and district panchayat member threatened them with eviction and used casteist slurs. Despite reporting the issue to local authorities, no action was taken to prevent the demolition.
Meanwhile, the sarpanch and the district panchayat member dismissed the allegations as false, stating that the demolition was a result of an order to remove illegal encroachments, issued eight months prior due to complaints from the villagers. They assert that the location is intended for a Saraswati Shishu Mandir and that Dashrath Bawari had encroached on multiple government properties.
Farmer leader condemns action
Farmer leader Shyamlal Jokchand criticised the government’s actions, stating that the administration’s claims of supporting the poor and farmers are hollow. He alleged that the authorities selectively target the poor, while ignoring encroachments by influential individuals. Jokchand demanded that the Chief Minister take action against the officials responsible for demolishing the labourer’s hut.
Husband jailed
Pipaliyamandi police station in-charge Neeraj Sarwan confirmed that the tehsildar’s team removed the encroachment on Thursday and upon receiving a complaint, the police arrested Dashrath Bawari under section 151, subsequently presenting him in tehsil court and sending him to jail. Attempts to contact Malhargarh tehsildar Brajesh Malviya were unsuccessful.
Dalits protest leaflets for hurting their sentiments
Nashik: There was heavy police deployment near the Nimani city bus terminus, in the Panchavati area, on Saturday morning after some dalit community members took to the streets for a peaceful protest.
The protest was in response to the circulation of a printed pamphlet in the area that hurt the sentiments of the dalit community. The agitation on the busy road in Panchavati started at 9.30 am and continued for six hours. Vehicular traffic was stopped on all roads leading to the Nimani bus stand and shopkeepers and other traders in the area kept their establishments closed.
The police, under the guidance of CP Sandeep Karnik, deployed a huge force to ensure there were no untoward incidents. DCP (Zone 1) Kiran Kumar Chavan, along with ACP and senior inspectors of various police stations, were present at the spot. MLAs, including Devyani Pharande, Seema Hirey, and Rahul Dhikle joined the protest to extend their support.
Addressing a press conference in Pune, Congress state president Nana Patole said state govt should take immediate cognizance of this matter and put an end to such wrongdoings.
DCP Chavan and other senior officers said the police had detained the accused person who had circulated the pamphlets. They said there was a photo of a person and his name on the pamphlets. However, it was clear during the investigation that the person (whose photo was used) had no role in it.
Police deploy water cannons on protesters amid severe water crisis in DelhiBJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri led protesters at Jal Board filling pump in Okhla amid severe water crisis in Delhi, met with water cannons by police. Residents are frustrated over ongoing water shortage.111185741
Locals clash with police after Dalit man dies in custody in UP’s FirozabadClash in Firozabad, UP after death of 25-year-old jail inmate, Akash. Residents pelted stones, set vehicle on fire. Police used mild force during the protest.111181836
NEET issue: Delhi Police detain NSUI activists protesting outside Dharmendra Pradhans residenceNSUI activists detained by Delhi police outside Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s residence over alleged irregularities in NEET and UGC-NET exams.111132467
Courtesy : TOI
Amroha News: Dalit families threatened to change religion if blue flags were removed
Gajraula (Amroha). The controversy over removing the blue flags installed at Prithviraj Chauhan Smriti Dwar in Warasabad has increased. On Thursday night, someone had installed a blue flag. On getting information about this, the Rajput community called it wrong and demanded to remove the flag. The police took information about the incident from the people of Dalit and Rajput community. The people of Dalit community who reached the police station accused the police of pressuring them to remove the blue flags. They threatened to change religion if the flags were removed.
Prithviraj Chauhan’s Smriti Dwar is built on Khad Gurjar Marg in the village of Warasabad in the area. Blue flags were installed there. The people of Rajput community met the SP and DM and demanded to remove the flags. After this the flags were removed. At night, someone installed a blue flag at the Smriti Dwar. People of Dalit community call the blue flag the flag of Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar. On Saturday morning, when the people of Rajput community passed by there, they were surprised to see blue flags at the Smriti Dwar. People of Rajput community gathered and reached there. They were preparing to take it down saying that it was hoisted in a wrong manner. Meanwhile, someone called the police. Police reached the spot. Police took information from people of Dalit community and Rajput community. Dalit community said that taking down the flag means insulting Baba Saheb, which they will not tolerate. A tense situation arose between Rajput and Dalit community. Police pacified the people of both the communities by explaining them. SDM Mandi Dhanora Chandrakanta and CO Shwetaabh Bhaskar reached the village. Information was taken from people of both the sides.
People of Dalit community submitted memorandum in Samadhan Diwas
People of Rajput community and Dalit community, residents of Warasabad, reached the police station. Presented their side in front of SDM Judicial Najam Masiha and Inspector Crime Jitendra Singh sitting in Samadhan Diwas. During this, people of Dalit community submitted a memorandum to SDM Judicial and accused the police of pressurizing them to take down the flag. They said that police is threatening that if the flag is not taken down, false cases will be registered against you and you will be sent to jail. Baba Saheb’s flag is hoisted at the Smriti Dwar, which will not be allowed to be taken down at any cost. During this time BDC members Gajendra Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Devendra Singh, Gangasaran Singh, Manoj Kumar, Lakhe Singh, Rajveer Singh etc. were present. A copy of the memorandum has also been sent to the Chief Minister, Prime Minister, President.
Big uproar in Firozabad, UP over the death of Dalit youth, stone pelting on police, arson also took place
A youth named Akash was accused of stealing a bike. He was arrested by the police in this case. But on the night of 20 June, his health deteriorated in jail. And on 21 June he died in the hospital.
Manisha Sharma
A youth died after being allegedly arrested by the police in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. However, he died not in the police station but in the district hospital. His age is stated to be 25 years. He is being described as a ‘Dalit’ in the reports. Angry people clashed with the police on the news of his death. During this, firing was also done by the police.
This youth named Akash was accused of stealing a bike. He was arrested by the police in this case. But on the night of 20 June, his health deteriorated in jail. And on 21 June he died in the hospital. Akash’s family alleges that the police beat him up badly before sending him to jail, which led to his death. After Akash’s death, angry people pelted stones at the police. The angry mob set fire to the bikes parked on the road. The ambulance was vandalized.
According to the report of Samarth Srivastava of Aaj Tak, after the post-mortem, Akash’s body was kept at Himayunpur intersection. A jam was imposed. The police also resorted to lathi charge to stop the violent mob. Aerial firing was also done to push the people who were pelting stones.
While talking to Aaj Tak, SSP Saurabh Dixit said that Akash was a resident of Thana Dakshin. An FIR of theft was registered against him on June 19. SSP further said,
“A stolen two-wheeler was found with Akash. Taking action, he was sent to judicial custody. There, his health deteriorated from the night of June 20. District doctors treated him in jail. But when his health did not improve, he was admitted to the district hospital on the morning of June 21. Later, he died during treatment.”
The police handed over the body to the family after the postmortem. But while going home, the family blocked the Himayunpur intersection of Thana Dakshin by placing the body there. According to the report, Bhim Army officials also reached the spot and started protesting. On receiving the information, the police reached there, but the protesters started pelting stones at the police. Later, the police also lathi-charged them.
Death of Dalit youth lodged in Firozabad jail, family alleges murder
Firozabad: A Dalit youth who was caught two days ago on charges of bike theft died in the district jail on Friday.
On Thursday night, the youth was admitted to the district hospital after his health deteriorated. Akash died during treatment there. After the death of the youth, the family created a ruckus with the workers of Bhim Army. Akash’s family said that the death was not natural and the matter should be investigated.
NEET Row: Rahul Gandhi Terms PM Modi-led Govt ‘Incompetent’, ‘Biggest Threat To Future Of Students’
NEET Row: The Centre has removed NTA director general Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in NEET-UG to the CBI.
Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government as “incompetent” and “biggest threat to the future of students”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday lambasted the Centre over the postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examination.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is completely helpless in front of the paper leak racket and education mafia.
He also termed the BJP government as “the biggest threat to the future of students”.
“Now NEET PG is also postponed! This is another unfortunate example of the ruined education system under the rule of Narendra Modi,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on micro-blogging site—X.
He also said the BJP-led government at the Centre “incompetent”.
“Now it is clear – Modi, who used to silently watch the spectacle every time, is completely helpless in front of the paper leak racket and education mafia. Narendra Modi’s incompetent government is the biggest threat to the future of students – we must save the future of the country from it,” he added.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) examination, which was scheduled on Sunday.
The ministry said a fresh date for the examination will be announced soon.
“Taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of the processes of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination for medical students,” the ministry’s statement read.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) responsible for conducting the medical entrance examinations, is facing criticism over the alleged irregularities over the conduct of the exams. A high-level committee has been formed by the Centre to suggest reforms in the examination procedure. The seven-member panel will be headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan.
The Centre also removed NTA director general Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in NEET-UG to the CBI.
Courtesy : Outlook India
Savarna parties have once again isolated Dalit voices
Though attachment to the Ambedkar family lineage still draws the rural masses, the people I have interacted with in political circles and urban voters have expressed dismay over Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar’s politics and nature of interactions.
The BJP and Congress’s fear tactics triumphed because Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar failed to convince Muslim and backward class voters they relied on. Then, there is their working styles, both vastly different.Commentators and political party leaders seem to habitually attack Dalits for exercising their right to vote and choosing whom to support. These offhand remarks are usually made to psychologically pressure Dalit voters to get agitated with their leaders. The mistrust, clubbed with critiques of opponents, cements the view that Dalit politics is doomed and, thus, a better option is to choose between the lesser evil.
The lesser evil is a system that benefits people with certain last names and their cabal. They are found in all political parties and social movements. It is this hidden state that the Ambedkarite political sphere can decipher, for they have seen first-hand how exploitation is managed by the iron fist of handlers who now claim political leadership.
The success of the 2024 general elections was the return of coalition governments. Dalit-led parties that fought as coalition partners like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Lok Janshakti Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) made gains in their vote share and even have their leaders in Parliament.
However, two parties suffered major electoral setbacks: the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an experimental Maharashtra-based Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Prakash Ambedkar. Both gained the feared suspicion of the media and Savarna parties. They did not win the mandate but circumstantially established their impetus. Ironically, both are absent from popular social movements. There are many reasons for their defeat. Besides distancing of urban middle-class Dalit voters, acquiescing to unfavourable parties and attitudinal drawback of the leadership, propaganda against these parties also played a role.
Dr Ambedkar envisioned a non-hegemonic force that could act as a power broker and force the ruling dispensation to act in their favour. The Scheduled Caste Federation’s Manifesto before the 1952 polls resolved to not have an alliance with “Congress, Hindu Maha Sabha, R.S.S., Communist Party and Jan Sangh”. In 1956, the Republican Party of India’s foundation was also based on similar ideals. Kanshi Ram famously interpreted this as “mazboot nahi, majboor sarkar chahiye (we need a helpless government, not a strong one)”. The logic was that this would force the majoritarian party to not act in self-indulgence. The purpose of Ambedkarite parties has been to protect their interests and rule the country. This is against the belief of the political class, which prefers a subordinate leader as opposed to an articulate one.
The Congress, with its divisive agenda, has once again isolated independent Dalit political voices, calling them second-rank subalterns of the BJP. The very Congress that was against Ambedkar and preferred Jagjivan Ram as an ideal opponent now acknowledges the former’s credibility. With that, it has taken upon itself to become the custodian of Ambedkar and his people — like a new convert trying hard to denounce anyone and anything that appears inconsistent with their newfound religion.
Slanderous epithets directed against Ambedkarite parties are a testimony to similar interests embraced by the Congress and BJP. Their records demonstrate their agenda to establish a feudal-Brahminical model that leverages the human resources of the backward classes, Dalits and Adivasis to meet their goals. To do this, they also need unquestionable loyalties of reserved seats. They did not treat BSP or VBA with desirable respect in seat-sharing or make enough attempts to bring them on board. The consequence of which they’re suffering now.
The BJP and Congress’s fear tactics triumphed because Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar failed to convince Muslim and backward class voters they relied on. Then, there is their working styles, both vastly different. The BSP is pathetic when it comes to communication and its reliance on old style of activism, something that has cost it its future. The lack of innovation and creativity to get influential masses on its side has isolated leaders from those who speak louder.
Though attachment to the Ambedkar family lineage still draws the rural masses, the people I have interacted with in political circles and urban voters have expressed dismay over Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar’s politics and nature of interactions. However, by using the Vanchit Bahujan formula to the ‘nagnath-saapnath’ referencing, Prakash Ambedkar seems to have embraced Kanshi Ram’s radical vision. Will the setback alarm the party leadership or will they invent new ways to blame the Opposition and the government?
Indian Teacher 'Beheads' Low-Caste Man
An Indian teacher beheaded a Dalit man after an argument over his use of a flour mill, a senior police officer said Friday, the latest in a spate of attacks on members of the country's lowest caste.
The teacher became angry when he saw 35-year-old Sohan Ram using the flour mill in northern Uttarakhand state and accused him of making it "impure", the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Even though the concept of untouchability has been outlawed in India some Hindus still believe that contact with a person of low caste will render them impure.
"Sohan Ram was abused for using the flour mill and when he protested he was attacked by a sickle," police superintendent Sukhbir Singh told AFP.
"We have arrested the accused under various sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code)."
Dalits, formerly known as "untouchables", are commonly tasked with menial jobs under India's deeply entrenched social hierarchy.
They form 16.6 percent of the national population or roughly 200 million, and continue to face oppression six decades after India banned caste discrimination.
Right groups say the government has failed to keep its pledge to end violence against them.
Last month, an angry mob attacked a pregnant Dalit woman in western Gujarat and in August 14 police officers were suspended after a low-caste man died in custody in north India.
Caste Pride and Gender: Why You Cannot Use One Kind of Abuse to Justify Another
The 2024 election results have shown the power of democracy and Dalit voters have played a key role. Among the other candidates who won, Sanjana Jatav and Varsha Gaikwad are the youngest Dalit members of the parliament. There is a need to step away from the rhetoric of ‘subaltern’ victimhood for a moment and pay more attention to anti-caste politics by listening more carefully to Dalit voices.
Aside from the unfolding of intense electoral politics this month, June, is celebrated as Pride Month in recognition of gender and sexual diversity. The idea of Pride is powerful in reclaiming identities and validating experiences that are otherwise subjected to stigma, derision, and abuse. Pride restores dignity and helps visibilise those who are rendered obscure and illegible in the social milieu.
One such illegibility came to the fore during the question-and-answer session of a public lecture on ‘WEB Du Bois and his Vision of Democracy’ at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi recently. The speaker, noted academic Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, didn’t let a student ask a question because she thought he was “a Brahminist,” and the student took to social media later and abused the speaker as “this Bastard and Bitch Lady.”
This is a productive site for developing a comparative understanding of anti-caste politics through gender and caste-based abuses and for a broader formulation of the ideas of pride.
Caste-based identity and abuse
In an interview, the student defended his use of the gender-abusive. To do this, he Invoked caste-based abuse and identity. He said, “I am a Chamar. My entire caste and my existence is a term of abuse so why is purity of language expected of me?”
Chamar is derived from the root word cham (as in chamdi or skin). It is a caste category that is traditionally associated with people who were tasked with the disposal of animal carcasses and the processing of their skin for making leather. It is considered “impure,”and those who are assigned to this caste-based occupation are considered lowly and treated as “untouchable.”
Chamar is listed as a Scheduled Caste. The word ‘chamar’ is also commonly used as a caste-based slur. Some people, including me, prefer self-identifying as Dalit – rather than with caste names which have been rendered derogatory. Others have sought to reclaim these slurs.
Also read: The Gayatri Spivak Controversy Is About the Implosion of ‘Subalternity’ in Public Discourse
A personal experience of gender-based abuse
The incident at JNU reminded me of a personal experience from 10 years ago. I was about to enter the District Park in Haus Khas, Delhi, with workout music blasting in my earphones. Two men were walking in my direction and staring at me. There was a gap of a few seconds between two tracks of the music, that’s when I heard one of them say, “Chakka re chakka (look at that faggot).” It took me a moment to grasp what had happened. By then, the two men had walked out of the park, and the next track had started blasting in my ears. I was running and thinking to myself:
Did that man really say what I heard? Why? Was it my clothes? Was it my gait?
A fellow queer runner has said to me often that I “run like a girl.” It was harmless banter at the time. Yet, at this moment, that harmless banter came back to me. I checked my gait and wondered if my short shorts were too short.
Social code of masculinity
Writing about this experience on social media, I wanted to make a collective sense of it with the help of my friends and acquaintances, a group that included lawyers, scholars, activists, and a judge. A judicial magistrate in India noted that Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860 would apply. Section 504 identifies insult and insulter in these words:
Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace—Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence.
Did the two men intend “to provoke breach of the peace”? I do not know their intention.
If I were to speculate, I would think they intended to entertain themselves with a commonplace humour that happens to be homophobic. If I were to dig a little deeper into their intention, I might speculate that they were motivated by their ideas of masculinity. My skimpy clothes and my gait might have been contrary to such ideas. Consciously or unconsciously, the two men served as social agents for enforcing an unwritten code of masculinity.
Caste-based abuse and a legal protection limited by intention
There is a special legislation for protection from caste-based violence, The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, referred to in short as the SC/ST Act or the PoA. Section 3 (1) (r) states:
3. Punishments for offences of atrocities. —
- Whoever, not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe,— …
(r) intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view; …
shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to five years and with fine.
Born to “untouchable,” Jatav, Chamar, and Dalit parents, I am a member of a Scheduled Caste (SC), and I think the two men intended to humiliate me. That would not be sufficient for invoking the SC/ST Act because it penalises only certain kinds of insults inflicted by non-SC or non-ST persons upon SC or ST persons. Presuming the two men were non-SC/ST, for Section 3 (1) (r) to apply, their insult must be based on caste in some way. For example, if they were to say, “look at that chamar,” that could be an offence under the SC/ST Act.
Along these lines, I am reminded of another incident when I was a law student. In a casual conversation, a classmate who was Muslim remarked on something personal about me and laughingly said, “Sumit, you’re such a Chamar.” My facial expression must have changed because she immediately said, “You know I didn’t mean it that way.” Regardless of her intentions in the delivery of caste-based abuse, the injury was inflicted on me. It’s etched in my memory, such that I haven’t forgotten it in almost 30 years.
Name-calling as a means of insult
Even according to judicial decisions, some caste names are used as a means of insult. Drawing upon an analogy with abusive name-calling like “nigger” or “negro” for African Americans, the Supreme Court of India has stated:
[U]ses of the words “pallan”, “pallapayal” “parayan” or “paraparayan” with intent to insult is highly objectionable and is also an offence under the SC/ST Act. It is just unacceptable in the modern age, just as the words “Nigger” or “Negro” are unacceptable for African-Americans today.
The analogy of racialised slurs with caste names in India presents a combined understanding of insults based on caste and race. Similarly, there could be a combined understanding of insults based on caste and gender. “Look at that faggot” is not an insult based on caste, yet, I would say, the intention to insult is analogous to insults based on caste.
Aside from broad analogies such as these, I ask myself, would I have felt any more or less insulted if I were called “Chamar” instead of “chakka” by the two men in the park? The answer is no. I would have felt equally insulted at being called either of the two. The former is a slur based on caste, and the latter is a homophobic slur based on misogyny and patriarchal ideas of masculinity. They are both intended to secure interlocking power systems of casteism and patriarchy.
Competing victimhood of age, caste and gender
The JNU student has defended his gender-based abuse by self-identifying with caste-based abuse. The two are not at parity, though. Chamar is formally listed as a protected legal category. The gender-based abuse, “this bastard and bitch lady,” are not legal categories of protection. Here, language operates as a tool for inflicting insult. It is not a matter of “purity of language” – as claimed by the student. There is no defence to this abuse.
On the other hand, it is not a criminal offence to call someone a bastard or a bitch. While calling someone “a Chamar” could result in criminal penalties. If someone who is not a member of the SC or the ST were to call the JNU student a Chamar – with the intent to humiliate him, it would qualify as a criminal offence under the SC/ST Act. In that sense, the JNU student’s caste position is legally protected in ways that the speaker’s gender position is not.
Of course, the speaker and the student are also different in their age and academic stature. In an interesting numerical reversal, one is 82, and the other is 28. The speaker is an accomplished academic, while the student is young and has yet to start his academic career. In that sense, he is more vulnerable to the effects of this controversy.
Caste, pride, internal contestations and empathy
Sometimes, abusive words are reclaimed by those who are abused. This sort of reclamation is a political act that seeks to transform the humiliation of abuse into the power of pride. Depending on who uses it and how, the word queer could serve as an example of both abuse and reclamation in the context of gender and sexual diversity. Ginni Mahi’s 2016 song ‘Danger Chamar’ is an example of reclaiming caste-based abuse and infusing it with pride. Along similar lines, Doja Cat’s ‘Boss Bitch’ makes a self-referential statement of gender-based abuse, but it’s clear that the artiste is wearing it as a badge of honour, not an insult.
The JNU student’s self-referential statement is emphatically and exclusively located within the typology of abuse. “I am a Chamar. My entire caste and my existence is a term of abuse..” is not a proud reclamation, it’s a poor excuse. Any self-identification with abuse cannot entitle anyone to abuse others. Rather, our experiences of abuse should make us more sensitive to how language operates to secure multiple forms of subordination.
We should empathise with those who are routinely abused and not replicate the patterns of abuse. We should deploy the power of language to transform the humiliation of abuse into proud reclamations and push back against abusive expressions even if they seem to originate from among the same subordinate group of which we are part. In this case, the newly elected Member of Parliament, Sanjana Jatav, the JNU student, and I are all positioned similarly along the same caste lines–with significant differences in their genders (and perhaps sexualities).
Internal contestations are common in the seeming cohesiveness of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus) Pride. Broadening the understanding of pride along the caste lines helps in building intersectional solidarities among the subordinated groups. Plus, more conducive settings would help these groups to talk to each other in respectful ways and in safer spaces.
Professor Dr. Sumit Baudh (they or he) teaches Caste Law and Representation, Intersectionality Applications and Analysis, among other courses. Parts of this opinion are drawn from a longer article, Invisibility of “Other” Dalits and Silence in the Law, published in 2017 in an academic journal, Biography. Posts on X @BaudhSumit
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Tribal Woman Tortured: Four Arrested in Telangana Village
Four individuals were arrested in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana, for allegedly torturing a 27-year-old Chenchu tribal woman after she failed to report for agricultural work. The victim was assaulted and cruelly treated, leading to serious injuries. Following community intervention, the woman was rescued and the accused were apprehended.
- IIn a shocking incident from Nagarkurnool district, Telangana, four individuals have been arrested for allegedly torturing a 27-year-old Chenchu tribal woman for a week. The woman was reportedly subjected to severe physical abuse after she failed to turn up for work on agricultural land owned by one of the accused.
The brutal assault involved her sister and brother-in-law and took place in Molachintalapally village of Kollapur mandal. It was the intervention of concerned villagers that led to her rescue after they alerted the police on Wednesday. The woman is currently in the hospital receiving treatment for her injuries.
In her complaint, the victim described being beaten with sticks and tortured with extreme methods, including burns on her private parts and having chili powder applied to her eyes and body. The four accused were arrested on Friday and are now in judicial custody. They face multiple charges including sexual assault and attempt to murder under relevant IPC sections and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
State Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao visited the victim in the hospital, offering his condolences and announcing Rs two lakh in financial assistance, along with a promise that the government would ensure the education of her children. He assured that the perpetrators would face justice.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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