Dalit boy’s death our national shame

The death of a nine-year-old Dalit boy in Rajasthan’s Jalore district after he was beaten up, allegedly by his teacher, for touching a pot of water meant for ‘upper castes’ is just the latest case of atrocity against Dalits that has come to light. Every day, such atrocities happen, though all of them do not result in the death or disfigurement of the victims. But any number of incidents of humiliation and insult of members of the Dalit community happen every day. Only some of them hit the headlines and create an uproar, but it dies down after some days. An FIR has been filed after the boy died last week. The teacher has been arrested and the administration has promised strict punishment for whoever is found guilty. The state government has announced a compensation for the boy’s family.

The death of the boy has led to protests against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. Dalit rights activists have criticised the government for the increasing cases of atrocities in the state and the low compensation amount of Rs 5 lakh awarded to the family. Protests have come from within the Congress party itself, with the faction led by Sachin Pilot using the incident to corner the government. One Congress MLA, Pana Chand Meghwal, and 12 party councillors of a municipal council have submitted their resignations. The BJP, the main Opposition party, has held state-wide protests, holding the government responsible for the boy’s death.

Political uproar and agitations over such issues are motivated by calculations of gains and losses, but the problem is much deeper than that. It is part of social behaviour and attitudes, and prejudice and bias against Dalits is built into the functioning of society. It often finds expression in violence. A minister in Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Khatik, resigned recently citing discrimination as a Dalit as the reason, though he was persuaded to withdraw the resignation later. There were reports from Tamil Nadu this week that Dalits were not allowed to hoist the national flag and panchayat presidents were not allowed to sit on chairs. Crimes against Dalits have increased in the last few years. Uttar Pradesh has recorded the highest number of such crimes but Rajasthan has the highest rate for the population. It is shameful that even after 75 years of Independence, Dalits, who are estimated to number about 200 million, accounting for over 16 per cent of the population, are not equal citizens of the country. Dalits have held high positions, but the ordinary Dalit’s life is still one of everyday oppression and discrimination.