Social and political organisations must accept that the violence against Dalits in the State exists and needs addressing
In an incident in Tamil Nadu earlier this month
a Dalit school student, Chinnadurai, was attacked by three students wielding a machete. His sister was also attacked when she tried to intervene.
Dalits continue to face violence in some form or the other across India every day
However, the incident, which took place on August 9, in Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district,
shocked the State as the perpetrators were school students, who belong to the numerically dominant community in that region.
similar incidents in the State
where Dalit students have been attacked —
- Muruganandam and Pradeep, from Cheranmahadevi, on August 4;
- Hariprasad of Kazhugumalai, on August 14,
- and a case on a bus near Karur on August 28.
rural Tamil Nadu, wear specific colour bands on their wrist
It is common knowledge that many students, particularly in rural Tamil Nadu,
wear specific colour bands on their wrist as a mark of caste identification.
In a State that has a history of caste violence against Dalits since Independence, the latest incidence is cause for worry. These incidents must not be seen in isolation.
There are many factors such as
- a mushrooming of caste organisations that run high on caste pride,
- a near total absence of anti-caste activism within the powerful Other Backward Classes (OBC) by social and political organisations,
- and even the feeble / low response from non-Dalit intellectuals.
Caste pride
caste organisations
1 Today, the primary role of the caste organisations, most often patronised / controled by youngsters, is to create exaggerated caste-specific symbolisms.
2 These organisations typically portray Dalits and their development as a threat to their interests of their community.
3 By organising ‘guru poojas’, every caste has found a social icon around which to rally.
यह कल्पना करना दूर की कौड़ी नहीं है कि ऊपर उल्लिखित हिंसक घटनाओं के पीछे के युवा इससे प्रभावित थे।
4 In the past three decades, every government and other political parties have not only allowed but also fully participated in the celebration of these caste icons.
कुछ और घटनाऐं
After the arson and violence against Dalits in Dharmapuri in 2012
1 orchestrated करवाया to separate an inter-caste couple, several caste organisations began to openly oppose inter-caste marriages.
2 For instance, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, which represents the Vanniyar community in Tamil Nadu’s northern and western districts, rallied non-Dalit organisations against the Dalit community in 2014.
उदाहरण के लिए, पट्टाली मक्कल काची, जो तमिलनाडु के उत्तरी और पश्चिमी जिलों में वन्नियार समुदाय का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है, ने 2014 में दलित समुदाय के खिलाफ गैर-दलित संगठनों को एकजुट किया
In 2015, Dheeran Chinnamalai Peravai leader Yuvaraj
and his accomplices killed a Dalit student, Gokulraj, for speaking to a caste-Hindu girl.
In 2016, a Dalit youth Sankar,
1 was killed in Udumalaipettai for marrying an OBC girl.
2 Former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minster O. Panneerselvam even denied instances of caste-based honour killings in Tamil Nadu
on the floor of the Assembly in 2015 when there was a demand for a special law against it.
The political factor
1 कौन कौन सी पार्टियां हैं अभी —
The Dravidian parties — the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam — and all national parties have a presence in the State.
सपोर्ट ?
हालांकि यह सच है कि भारतीय जनता पार्टी (बीजेपी) को छोड़कर ये पार्टियां सीधे तौर पर इन जाति संगठनों का समर्थन नहीं करती हैं, लेकिन सत्तारूढ़ दल शायद ही कभी उनके खिलाफ बोलते हैं या इन संगठनों द्वारा किए गए उल्लंघनों पर कार्रवाई करते हैं।
वोट बैंक ?
This is because these political parties are dependent on the vote bank of the numerically dominant OBC communities; there is political competition to appease them.
समुदाय के साथ एलायंस बना लेना
The political parties, which see no contradiction with these caste-organisations, are quick to form an electoral alliance with them if they manage to mobilise their communities.
Dravidian movement ने क्या किया
=1 After opposing the hegemony of Brahmins and pursuing the politics of anti-Brahminism, the Dravidian movement did not do much to oppose the dominance of powerful OBC communities or speak about these issues vociferously.
2 It is only Dalit and Left organisations and individuals that are spotlighting the extent of the violence that Dalits face.
Violence against Dalits by powerful OBC communities is not a new phenomenon either.
Pandit Iyothee Thass’s Thamizhan newspaper reported many such incidents in the early 20th century.
कुछ प्रश्न ?
1 Why are Dalits facing violence in a State ruled by political parties that boast of promoting social justice?
2 Why did not anti-Brahmin politics transform itself into anti-caste politics?
3 What is the connection between social changes that have taken place so far and the situation now in Tamil Nadu?
लेकिन सच्चाई ?
There has been
- no research,
- no debate
- or political narratives to explain this emergent phenomenon.
Another worrying development is the rise of the BJP in Tamil Nadu
1 BJP-led Hindutva politics, as in other places, pampers the caste pride of powerful Brahmin and non-Brahmin caste organisations.
2 There is open support for caste-based outfits and encouragement to castes to reclaim their past based on myths.
3 Such myths only reinforce caste consciousness in the minds of upper caste students.
Public intellectuals rarely speak about these problems in Tamil Nadu today
BJP State Unit President K. Annamalai, on a ‘yatra’ across Tamil Nadu, did not speak about the violence while he went to Nanguneri.
. If Dalits flag the violence and discrimination, Brahmins are portrayed to be the common enemy and the voices of Dalits disregarded and suppressed.
In Tamil Nadu, Dalits have historically been at the forefront and continue to be ideological opponents of Brahminism.
It is true that Brahminical hegemony exists and should be opposed
Does issues faced by Dalits should not be discussed and debated in a transparent manner?
Ushering in reform क्या किया जाए ?
1 there is urgent need to address the issue of violence against Dalits in the State.
2 They must discourage the formation of caste-based organisations, and delegitimise existing caste organisations.
3 Governments must stop participating in ‘guru poojas’ and establishing memorials for caste leaders.
3 Importantly, the idea of equality should be propagated earnestly in schools, colleges and workplaces.
5 In schools and colleges, monitoring committees that involve teachers and parents must be set up to handle discrimination.
6 The police must be held accountable where there is lax investigation and in bringing the perpetrators of violence against Dalits to justice.
The Dravidian movement stands for social justice
दलित कार्यकर्ताओं, राजनीतिक दलों और बुद्धिजीवियों की आलोचना पिछले 100 वर्षों में सामाजिक न्याय के मोर्चे पर आंदोलन की उपलब्धियों को नकारने के लिए नहीं है,
बल्कि इसके ऊंचे आदर्शों और जमीनी स्तर पर स्थिति के बीच की खाई को उजागर करने के प्रयास में है। समावेशी सामाजिक न्याय की खोज में अपने पाठ्यक्रम को सही करें।
Source the hindu
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