Condition of Dalit Women in Indian Society

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Dalit Women:

 

Dalit Women doesn’t come under the Varna system,they were known as Untouchables(now popularly known as Dalit),in Constitutional term Dalit women come under the Scheduled Caste(SC).Among women in India Dalit Women is the most oppressed Women in India,Dalit women face triple discrimination on the basis of Caste,on the basis of class and on the basis of Gender.Dalit women has to fight for everythinng for their survival.as a whole Dalit community face discrimination,atrocities but Dalit women face the worst.according to recent data from NCRB(National Crime Record Beauro),there is increase in the crime against the Dalit community,everyday 10 Dalit Women are being raped,this are the case which is recorded,imagine the case which are not recorded.

 

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a breif history of a caste system (image: the logical india )

Dalit has faced humiliatation,discrimination since thousands of years.when Constitution came into existence discrimination,untouchability has been outlawed by the Constitution but even today Dalit face discrimination, humilation, atocities,Untouchability in the society.According to recent census of 2011,Dalit makes 16.6% of the India’s population,and this population of India face discrimination,humilation,atrocities in every part of the Country.Dalit women fought for their rights in the society and they also fought against the Britishers but unfortunately the Savrana community has forgotten their contribution for the society,the women like Jhalkaribai devi,Uda Devi Pasi,Mahabiri devi Bhangi,they all fought against the Britishers and for equality in the society but unfortunately this women has not given importance by the historian,only because they  were Dalit Women.

 

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Dalit women has shown resistence against the brutal Caste system because Dalit Women faced the worst,the Perpetrators think that if you want to humiliate the particular community then humiliate its women.In South the women from Dalit community were not allowed to cover their Breast,they had to give Breast tax,even today the condition of Dalits in South is not well and most particularly in TamilNadu, recently the people from dominant OBC community threw Human Excreta in a tank used by Dalits.Dalit Women faced the worst kind of humiliation,discrimination,atrocities,Untouchability in the society.

 

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when Savarna women started movement for demanding equality in the society,Savarna women claimed themselves as the mainstream Feminism but Savarna Women have neglected the issues of Dalit Women, the experience of Dalit women is different from the Savarna women,Savarna women are not being discriminated on the basis of Caste,Savarna women doesn’t get humiliated on the basis of Caste,they don’t face the brutal form of Caste violence from the society.The experience of Dalit Women is very different from the Savarna Women,the emergence of Dalit feminism has taken place only because Savarna Feminist were not taking the issues of Dalit Women,Dalit Feminism sees everything from the intersectional perspectives.We find many a times the Savarna Women silent on the daily atrocities of Dalit Women.

 

a old picture of dalit women history (image: wikkipedia)

 

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 Atrocities against Dalit Women:

 

In this Patriarchal society Dalit Women is the most sufferer.every year there is increase in the crime against Dalit and particularly against Dalit Women.the crime against Dalit women include rape,brutal sexual assault,gangrape,sexual harrasment.Constitution has given Constitutional safeguards to Dalits,but even though Dalits face discrimination,atrocities and Untouchability.the society treat Dalit as worst than animals,to teach Dalit Community lesson,firstly perpetrators do violence against the Dalit Women,they think that if we humiliate the body of a dalit women the Dalit community will be humiliated.everytime whenever Dalit community started to raise voice against the injustice,the people who have Castiest Mindset started to do violence against the dalit community and particularly against Dalit Women,the Castiest Mindset people doesn’t want to see a Dalit in a better position,they don’t want to see Dalit aquiring land,they don’t want to see Dalit studying in good schools and colleges.the Castiest people thinks how a Dalit can stand up against them.

 

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the more Dalits are getting aware about their rights,the more violence are taking place against Dalit and particularly against Dalit Women,the Castiest people thinks how a Dalit who is doing menial work,started to assert the rights as a human beings,so they harras,rape Dalit women to teach dalit community lesson.it is not that only common Dalit women are facing atrocities by the Castiest Mindset people,also Dalit women who are in prominent postition faced the castiest slur from  people mainly from the Savarna community.Kumari Mayawati a tallest leader who comes from Dalit community faced most casteist slur by the people from Savarnas community.when you see in social media,most Casteist slur have been used against Kumari Mayawati only because she is a Dalit women,among all the politicians she is the only women who face Castiest slur,vulgar jockes only because she comes from Dalit community.

 

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in every crime which took place against Dalit community, police also don’t do fair investigation and many a times Judges are also baised against the Dalit community.the case of  Lalasa Devi can be a example,the case of Delta Meghwal,whenever any atrocities happened against Dalit women or Dalit,firstly SC/ST atrocities act invoked and then other charges are invoked,but in cases on the atrocities of  Dalit women,police refused to even register FIR against the perpetrator,forget about registering complain under SC/ST act,also in the Case of Lalasa Devi Police refused to register complain under SC/ST act and even refused to register the charges of rape on the perpetrators.Delta Meghwal was the bright Dalit student who was raped and killed by her teacher,a women was also a perpetrator in this case.

 

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in many atrocities which took place against Dalit Women in that many a times women from upper caste also involved in it.no one can forget the Hathras case,how a Dalit girl brutally raped and killed by the Upper Caste Thakur men,in that police has tried to protect the rapist,the body of girl being burnt by the police in  the midnight,and later they denied that rape has happened,till now justice has not been delivered to the victim’s family,Recently the UP Court acquitted three rapist and only one is behind the bar but not on charges of rape,UP Special Court said that it is not incident of gang rape,out of the four accused three are acquitted from all charges,only one is behind the bar but not on charges of Rape,this is happening only because victim is from Dalit community.where is the outrage by the Savarna feminist,there is no outrage from the Savarna Feminist because the victim is from Dalit community.all the Savarna feminist keep mum,all the Savarna media houses kept mum whenever atrocities took place against Dalit women,Dalit women are the marginalized among marginalized.

 

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Being A Dalit Women in Indian Society:

 

a protest picture of dalit women (image: ivolunteer international )

 

Who can forget Khairlanji incident of 2006 of Maharashtra,where Dalit Family was brutalized by Dominant OBC Hindu Community,it was the small  conflict of land and the stature of Dalit Family was not liked by the Castiest people,the Women of the Dalit Family was gang raped by the Castiest goons killed Dalit family in most brutal way,only One person from that Dalit Family survived but he also died without getting Justice for her wife and other family members.there is difference between crime against Savarna Women and Dalit Women,When Dalit Women are killed, Brutalized no voice,no support came from the Savarna Community and the so called Savarna liberal media,but when any crime against Savarnas community happens,whole country get outraged but the consciousness of Society died When Crime against Dalits happen,they will say Black lives Matters but they never say that Dalit lives Matters or Muslim lives Matters.

 

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The caste violence against Dalit is continuing since thousands of years,they were debarred from getting education,they were debarred from enjoying basic rights as a human beings,they were regarded as Untouchable,even today they are regarded as an Untouchables,even today they are regarded as impure.still today they have been killed,lynched,Dalit Women are being violated in most brutal way by the dominant Caste people.why dominant Caste do violence aganist Dalit,most probably because they are fearful of their assertiveness,they are jealous of their prosperity.they think how a Dalit can assert in front of dominant caste.the most brutal Caste violence take place against the Dalit Women,they are being sexually assulted in a brutal way.year by year the crime against Dalit in General and Dalit women in particular are increasing,and in almost all the cases the Justice are being delayed or Justice are being denied to Dalits.

 

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Baba Saheb Ambedkar who was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution has made special provision in the Indian Constitution for the protection of Dalit,but even though Dalit face atrocities everyday.when ever atrocities against Dalits take place there is not much outrage from the people in India,and the celebrities in India,recently in USA when a black man was killed by the white policemen of USA,the indian celebrities and politician had raised the voice,but when atrocities against Dalit happens in their own home they keep silent or in other words put fevicol in there mouth.there is need that the people should also speak up when atrocities against Dalits took place.if we want to make egalitarian society where every individual enjoy equal rights.than,every individual has to stand up whenever any injustice took place in society and speak up against any injustice.

 

writer :

Akhilesh kumar
PhD student
Centre for Dalit and Minorities Studies
Jamia Millia Islamia

*दलित टाइम्स उन करोड़ो लोगो की आवाज़ है जिन्हें हाशिए पर रखा गया है। *

महिला, दलित और आदिवासियों के मुद्दों पर केंद्रित पत्रकारिता करने और मुख्यधारा की मीडिया में इनका प्रतिनिधित्व करने के लिए हमें आर्थिक सहयोग करें।

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