The Omnipresent Caste
M A Baby
THE CPI(M), while evaluating the State Structure and Democracy in its Party Programme – which was adopted in 1964 and has since been updated – had correctly identified that the bourgeois-landlord system has failed to put an end to caste oppression. The worst sufferers are the Scheduled Castes. The Dalits are subject to untouchability and other forms of discrimination despite these being declared unlawful. Even after 60 years, the CPI(M)’s assessment of the Indian State and society, remains spot on. Four recent events underline it.
The first is the attempted assault on the current Chief Justice of India – a Dalit – within the Supreme Court itself. The second is the suicide of a Dalit IPS officer in Haryana. The third is the lynching of a Dalit man accused of theft, in Uttar Pradesh, even as the police allegedly remained mute spectators. The fourth is the subjection of a Dalit youth to urination on the face, in MP. It needs to be noted that all these four incidents occurred in BJP-ruled states. They underline that caste is omnipresent, caste-based discrimination is rampant, and untouchability is still practiced, despite the Indian Constitution prohibiting discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth through Article 15, and abolishing untouchability through Article 17, more than 75 years back!
Despite constitutional promises of equality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the country face persistent exclusion and violence. According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crimes against SCs went up from 39,408 in 2013 to 57,789 cases in 2023 and crimes against STs almost doubled from 6,793 in 2013 to 12,960 cases in 2023. Under BJP rule, the violence inflicted upon SCs and STs is combined with systemic exclusion from education opportunities and opportunities for upward mobility. The National Fellowship for ST students has been virtually eliminated, with budgetary allocation being cut by 99.99 per cent this year, from Rs 240 crore (Revised Estimates) to just Rs 2 lakh. A sharp decline has been reported in the disbursement of the National Overseas Scholarships, with only 40 out of the 106 selected students receiving their scholarship in the current academic year. Pre-matric scholarships for SC, ST, OBC and minority students have been stopped for classes 1 to 8, and the number of recipients in classes 9 and 10 have dropped. Reduced scholarships limit access, increase dropout rates and shrink employment prospects for thousands of capable students from these sections.
In contrast, the CPI(M)-led LDF Government in Kerala has upheld social justice and made great strides in the fight to end caste discrimination. For the first time ever in the country, in 2017, reservation for backward classes and Dalits were instituted in temple administration. Subsequently, 36 non-Brahmins, including six Dalits, were appointed as priests by the Travancore Devasom Board. In an unprecedented move, the state government continued the pre-matric scholarships given to SC, ST, OBC and minority students in classes 1 to 8 even after the Union government stopped disbursing funds for the same. Over 4.6 lakh SC and ST students currently benefit from various pre/post-matric scholarships under the state’s e-Grants programme. The Unnathi Scholarship Programme has assisted over 1,100 SC and ST students in pursuing postgraduate studies in the top 500 universities abroad. 310 students from marginalised sections are benefiting from the scheme during the current academic year. Financial assistance of up to Rs 2.5 lakh is being given to members of SC and ST communities to set up smart study rooms in their homes. Over 1.6 lakh SC and ST families have received houses under the LIFE mission, the LDF government’s flagship project that aims to end homelessness in the state. Additionally, over 4 lakh land titles have also been distributed so as to end landlessness, an issue that affects members of SC and ST communities disproportionately.
Apart from the recent incidents mentioned earlier, the names Jaspreet Singh and Rohit Vemula are familiar to all those who follow current affairs. Jaspreet Singh, was a Dalit medical student at PGIMER, Chandigarh. He was repeatedly failed by his Head of Department, and he committed suicide in 2008. A note recovered from his pocket alleged that the HoD was deliberately failing him and had threatened to do so repeatedly. Following the suicide, senior professors re-evaluated his answer sheet and found that he had, in fact, passed the examination. Rohith Vemula was a Dalit PhD student at the University of Hyderabad. He committed suicide in 2016 after being expelled from his hostel and suspended from the university. In 2015 Rohit and four other Dalit students were suspended after an altercation with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS. They were not merely suspended, but even their fellowships were discontinued, and they faced social ostracism. Rohit’s suicide note, which stated, ‘my birth is my fatal accident’, underlined the stark reality of caste based discrimination in the country. Following his suicide, the University of Hyderabad was forced to reinstate the four other students and had to agree to implement recommendations to create a more supportive environment for Dalit students.
Against the backdrop of continuing caste discriminations in India, social justice was identified as a major component of the Left and Democratic Programme put forth by the CPI(M) in its Political Resolution adopted in the 24th Congress. The Political Resolution also called for abolishing the caste system and all forms of caste oppression and protecting the rights of Dalits, Adivasis and minorities. It also identified the fight against all forms of caste oppression and discrimination, and the championing of the rights of women, Dalits, Adivasis and religious minorities as a task for the Party.
Since we have a proper and programmatic understanding of caste, it is only natural that we intervene wherever there are caste-based atrocities. Recently, in Tamilnadu, we had announced that our offices would be opened up for inter-caste marriages of couples facing resistance from their families. The announcement which gained wide attention was made after a Party office in Tirunelveli which hosted an inter-caste marriage, was ransacked by the bride’s relatives.
With regard to the recent incidents cited above too, the CPI(M) intervened. A delegation of the Party visited the bereaved family of late Puran Kumar IPS, at their house in Chandigarh, and heard their profound grief and anguish. Their testimony made it clear that the matter deserved an independent and transparent enquiry to uncover the truth and ensure justice. Subsequently a letter was written to the Prime Minister demanding a Judicial Enquiry into the entire incident, headed by a Judge of the Supreme Court. However, sadly, no such enquiry has been constituted yet.
As news of caste oppression and discrimination continue to pour in from all over the country, and when even governments are turning a blind eye to such issues, the CPI(M) will move forward on the path identified by the 24th Party Congress, so as to achieve social justice for all.
