UNTOUCHABILITY
What is it?
-a social practice
-ostracizing minority groups by segregating
them from the mainstream
-by social custom or legal mandate.
A member of this excluded group is known as
an untouchable.
How does it evolve?
because of the existing caste system in India.
It is prevailing only in the Hindu Soiety.
Hindu culture is divided into 4 castes i.e
Brahmin
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Sudras
These castes reveal their occupation. People gets
locked into their trade by birth. They become a part
of the occupation that their forefathers used to do.
Sudras(caste of the laborers) are the people who
always has to face the oppression.
DALIT a sanskrit term meaning suppressed or
crushed is used for the class of people facing
oppression and are termed as untouchable
castes of the Hindu Society.
They are forbidden to enter the public places
like temples or even eating with a person of the
upper class person.
Orthodox Hindus often turn up to RIG VEDA
(humanity’s oldest book) to justify the social and
economic satisfaction of Caste.
But the evidence of scriptures shows that the culture
which produced the Rig Veda was devoid of Caste.
In the name of Untouchability, Dalits face nearly 140
forms of work and descent-based discrimination at
the hands of the dominant caste.
Here are a few:
They are prohibited from•eating with other caste members.
•marrying with other caste members.
•entering into village temples.
•using common village path.
•from wearing sandals or holding umbrellas in front
of dominant caste members
REFORMS:
The earliest known historical people to have rejected
the caste system were Gautama Buddha and
Mahavira.
It was further encouraged by the Bhakti
movement.
The Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, and
Ramakrishna Mission actively participated in the
emancipation of Dalits.
The 1950 national constitution of India legally
abolishes the practice of untouchability.
- Article 17 of the Constitution Of India says that there
should be abolition of Untouchability.
- In the Article 15,it has been mentioned that
prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion,
race and caste.
- Also in the article 16, it has been clearly mentioned
that there should be equality of opportunity in
matters of public employment.
Government of India also passed an act namely THE
PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES ACT,(POA)in the year
1989.
•In this Government clarified specific crimes against
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes(Dalits) as
atrocities.
•It created strategies and punishments to counter
these acts.
•The Act created special courts to try cases registered
under the POA
But analyzing the present scenario of the Indian
Society makes us realize that these policies have not
yielded the expected results.
Even after so many years of the fight against
untouchability and the Caste system in India, it is still
prevailing in rural areas. It may have been reduced
but not eliminated.
It can be because of the ignorance of people and the
Government.
Taking the example of POA act,1989.
There were only 2 states to have created separate
special courts in accordance with the Prevention of
Atrocities Act. As a result the act has suffered from a
near complete failure in implementation.
According to a survey in1999, nearly a quarter of
those government officials charged with enforcing
the act are unaware of its existence.
Similar is the case with other Government policies,
they have worked quite well in the urban areas, but
almost ineffective with the rural people.
You may find some people saying that India has
eliminated untouchability from the country by
giving examples as in having a President from the
backward class(K.R. Narayanan) and some other
dalits occupying certain high posts in the Govt jobs.
But these people only represent the educated
section of backward groups, What about the
uneducated people?
They are still in the dark.
Education can be helpful in eliminating the
untouchability from the Indian Society.
Educating people is the best way to make India free
from this evil of Caste that has been followed for
centuries in the country.
If we look at the achievements that these policies
acquired, it can be said that we are on a right track.
But still there is a long way to go
BEWARE OF YOUR RIGHTS AND DISCHARGE DUTY WITH DEVOTION
It gives me great pleasure to express my deep sense
of gratitude to all concerned for the encouragement. I
have completed this project and I am very much
thankful to Rajasthan State Human Rights
Commission for giving me a chance to do internship
under the Rajasthan Human Rights Commission
Anil Vishnoi
BBA.LLB(Hons.) 2nd Year
National Law University, Cuttack
Mob:9784891921,7873490949
Email id:
anilvishnoi29@gmail.com