India should end caste-based politics

India-wide protests by thousands of Dalits — members of India’s lowest caste — on Monday brought to the fore the deep insecurities that continue to plague the community. The protests were largely in response to the March 20 guidelines of the country’s Supreme Court regarding the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989. The court had observed that the act is being used to ‘blackmail’ innocent citizens, and so it suggested ways to protect both public servants and private employees. However, such guidelines, the Dalit community feels, could be abused and exploited. The result was nationwide agitation that turned ugly as nine people were killed and daily lives disrupted.

What lies at the heart of this event is the larger debate on why certain sections of the Indian society still don’t feel empowered? Why has India, an economic heavyweight, been unable to percolate the benefits of growth to the grassroots and ensure a level-playing field for all? A gainfully employed mind rarely resorts to violence. Only when poverty and lack of economic opportunities challenge and frustrate everyday survival, when future prospects appear bleak for children, people look for ways to express anger and stir the conscience of the nation that had promised to “promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker section” through its constitution. Though aspirations and educational levels have improved, the Dalit community still faces terrible prejudice. In 2016, a PhD student committed suicide after caste-based hounding. Many haven’t been able to shatter the caste-based barriers and continue to be treated as untouchables. Many have been beaten, bullied, and denied opportunities that could turn their fates around, be it in education, work, or elsewhere in life. Seven decades have been lost. Economically and socially backward classes should have been educated and empowered, and the system of reservations should have been phased out. The recent event, nonetheless, should reset the political compass and nudge leaders to look at the issue with some objectivity. No more people should be sacrificed in the name of caste-based politics. A life of dignity and justice is what people demand, and should rightly get.