11-23-2006, 12:27 AM
<b>Chandrabhan Prasad in the Pioneer
</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It was not just the savagery associated with the Khairlanji killings that shocked the Dalits of Maharashta and the world over. It was not merely rape and muder. It was essentially a holocaust.
<b>About five dozen Kunbis raided Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange's house on September 28. It was a caste attack on Bhaiyyalal's family. Watched by the entire village, Surekha, 45- year-old wife of Bhaiyyalal, her 17-year-old daughter, and two sons were dragged out to the chaupal.
Amid cheers from the Kunbi men, women and children, the mother and daughter were first stripped. While they were being raped for about an hour, the Kunbi elders stood to give the culprits a standing ovation.</b> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Did such things happen in Hitler's regime? In full public view, four people were butchered. This is India's social holocaust, where dominant Kunbis, a listed OBC caste inflicted humiliation while killing.
<span style='color:#CC6600'><b>Atrocities on Dalits follow a pattern, often of a pan-India nature. Most Dalit killings are accompanied by inflicting humiliations. For instance, if the caste society decides to rape a Dalit woman, or target her dignity, attempts are made that more and more people came to know of it. That's the reason a rape is preceded by stripping the victim. Sometimes, there will be no physical injury, only humiliation. The idea is to convey a message - that, Dalits ought to know their social positioning. <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> The Khairlanji medievalism is just one case in point. Such acts of barbarism are common all over India and it is just that this savagery caught the media attention and we are shocked.
</b></span>
As the news of Khairlanji savagery spread, the Dalit youth in Maharashtra got restless. While Dalit politicians slipped into rat holes, a new churning began among the Dalit social groups. As the motherland of Dalit movements, Maharashtra Dalits this time decided to confront. Closing down the Nagpur city will remain a landmark event in the life of all Dalit movements. Maharashtra Dalits have once again set a standard for Dalits all over India.
In a way, the recent Dalit uprising in Maharashtra is a signal for a new political mood in the Dalit genex - fight back. This is the return of the panthers - the Dalit Panthers of the early seventies. Although the Dalit Panther movement remained confined to Maharashtra, its echoes reverberated in Dalit consciousness all over the country.
With a flavour of militancy, the Dalit Panther movement had resurrected the esteem of the Dalits. The message that 'We must confront' caste dominance got instant approval. As the movement gained ground in Maharashtra, Dalit consciousness took a quantum jump. It slowly translated into a "we can confront" the caste dominance.
The movement was born to a special political context. As the only Dalit party of that time, the Republic Party of India (RPI) had given a new hope to anxious Dalit masses. It had won five Assembly seats in Maharashtra and 10 in UP in 1967. The party's influence had galvanised the Dalits.
But Dalit hopes didn't last as the RPI began splitting. The RPI leaders were swallowed by Congress and Jan Sangh. Feeling betrayed, the anxious Maharashtra Dalits looked for a new platform. That's when the Dalit Panther was born. Most founding leaders of the new movement came from outside the RPI.
Sadly though, the Dalit Panther movement met with a similar fate and the leaders were swallowed by the Congress and Shiv Sena. A brave attempt to revive the RPI was made when Dalit activists forced all factions to merge a few years back. That too didn't last long.
Today, an average Maharashtra Dalit feels betrayed. Most Dalit politicians have lost respect and credibility.
The recent uprising by average Dalit activists and participation of women signals a new Dalit mood - independent, assertive, and combative. It seems, the Dalit Panther has made a comeback. In all probability, something new, refreshing and futuristic will emerge from the Nagpur uprising.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It was not just the savagery associated with the Khairlanji killings that shocked the Dalits of Maharashta and the world over. It was not merely rape and muder. It was essentially a holocaust.
<b>About five dozen Kunbis raided Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange's house on September 28. It was a caste attack on Bhaiyyalal's family. Watched by the entire village, Surekha, 45- year-old wife of Bhaiyyalal, her 17-year-old daughter, and two sons were dragged out to the chaupal.
Amid cheers from the Kunbi men, women and children, the mother and daughter were first stripped. While they were being raped for about an hour, the Kunbi elders stood to give the culprits a standing ovation.</b> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Did such things happen in Hitler's regime? In full public view, four people were butchered. This is India's social holocaust, where dominant Kunbis, a listed OBC caste inflicted humiliation while killing.
<span style='color:#CC6600'><b>Atrocities on Dalits follow a pattern, often of a pan-India nature. Most Dalit killings are accompanied by inflicting humiliations. For instance, if the caste society decides to rape a Dalit woman, or target her dignity, attempts are made that more and more people came to know of it. That's the reason a rape is preceded by stripping the victim. Sometimes, there will be no physical injury, only humiliation. The idea is to convey a message - that, Dalits ought to know their social positioning. <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:furious--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/furious.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='furious.gif' /><!--endemo--> The Khairlanji medievalism is just one case in point. Such acts of barbarism are common all over India and it is just that this savagery caught the media attention and we are shocked.
</b></span>
As the news of Khairlanji savagery spread, the Dalit youth in Maharashtra got restless. While Dalit politicians slipped into rat holes, a new churning began among the Dalit social groups. As the motherland of Dalit movements, Maharashtra Dalits this time decided to confront. Closing down the Nagpur city will remain a landmark event in the life of all Dalit movements. Maharashtra Dalits have once again set a standard for Dalits all over India.
In a way, the recent Dalit uprising in Maharashtra is a signal for a new political mood in the Dalit genex - fight back. This is the return of the panthers - the Dalit Panthers of the early seventies. Although the Dalit Panther movement remained confined to Maharashtra, its echoes reverberated in Dalit consciousness all over the country.
With a flavour of militancy, the Dalit Panther movement had resurrected the esteem of the Dalits. The message that 'We must confront' caste dominance got instant approval. As the movement gained ground in Maharashtra, Dalit consciousness took a quantum jump. It slowly translated into a "we can confront" the caste dominance.
The movement was born to a special political context. As the only Dalit party of that time, the Republic Party of India (RPI) had given a new hope to anxious Dalit masses. It had won five Assembly seats in Maharashtra and 10 in UP in 1967. The party's influence had galvanised the Dalits.
But Dalit hopes didn't last as the RPI began splitting. The RPI leaders were swallowed by Congress and Jan Sangh. Feeling betrayed, the anxious Maharashtra Dalits looked for a new platform. That's when the Dalit Panther was born. Most founding leaders of the new movement came from outside the RPI.
Sadly though, the Dalit Panther movement met with a similar fate and the leaders were swallowed by the Congress and Shiv Sena. A brave attempt to revive the RPI was made when Dalit activists forced all factions to merge a few years back. That too didn't last long.
Today, an average Maharashtra Dalit feels betrayed. Most Dalit politicians have lost respect and credibility.
The recent uprising by average Dalit activists and participation of women signals a new Dalit mood - independent, assertive, and combative. It seems, the Dalit Panther has made a comeback. In all probability, something new, refreshing and futuristic will emerge from the Nagpur uprising.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->