Human rights perspectives of Indian Dalits

Abstract

Indian institution of inequality is elaborately constructed in the form of caste system which has been in existence since ancient times. Dalits are traditionally lower caste people who are regarded as untouchables and are discriminated socially, economically and politically. Their human rights are regularly violated. Recent cases of Dalit human rights violations include, Jat -Dalit violence case killing 3 Dalits and 13 injured in Rajasthan, in 2015, suicide of Rohit Vemula, a Ph. D. scholar for caste discrimination in Hyderabad Central University in 2016, National crime Record Bureau recorded 33356 cases of rapes during 2018. In Unnao, Uttar Pradesh there was gang rape of 17 year old girl in June 2017 involving BJP leader and MLA and five others. Other Unnao case wherein 23 year old girl was raped, filmed and set on fire while going to court for hearing on 5th December 2019; Dr Payall Tadavi, belonging to a Dalit, Bhil sub caste of Tribal community and a post Graduate student of Topiwala National Medical College and BYZ Nair Hospital Mumbai, Maharashtra committed suicide on May 22nd 2019 as her senior colleagues continuously harassed her on caste basis. In an Honor killing case, 25 year Nandhish from dalit community fell in love with Swathi, an upper caste woman, got married and lived together. Both were murdered in December 2018 by the father of the girl and their bodies were thrown in river. 25 people were arrested on 5th January 2019 for social Boycott of SC community members from Nizamabad District in Telangana who dug and erected pillars for the Ambedkar Sangam building. A complaint was filed by  a 64  year member of the tribe, Prabhaker Bhosale  alleging that  an accused boycotted him and few others from his community since 2010 for failing to attend the funeral of his brother Shani Shinganapur temple in Ahmednagar of Maharashtra lifts ban on women’s entry yielding to High Court of Mumbai directive in April 2016, Supreme Court in Sabarimala temple, Kerala case held in land mark judgment that Sabrimala Ayyapa temple women cannot be restricted from entering holy sites such as this temple. All these cases, besides numerous similar cases in the past, point to the fact that violence against Indian Dalits in present time is no way less rampant and horrible than reported in the past.   Key words: Untouchables, caste discrimination, Dalits, empowerment, human rights violations.