Viren, Mudy,
Outside of the world of Dalit, Congressi, Commie, Sanghi "politics", the world of the Dalit is brutally repressive. In fact not just Dalits, but for anyone languishing in the bottom pit of the rural pseudo-social order that in more than one way bases itself on caste. Slurs in Hindi like <i>"badhjaat", "neech"</i> do not just arise in vacuum. They are meant to hurt the innermost psyche of the abused party. It is an abuse on their character, dignity and their <i>atman</i>. Crimes against them also follow a similar nature. A murder is not simply a murder, but brutal. The death is not simple hacking, but must be accompanied by complete denuding of character. The oppressor in this case has complete confidence that it is kosher to humiliate the abused even in death.
If the perpetrators of the crime had stealthily hacked this family in the cover of the night with Hitchcockian perfection, this would not have been a caste related murder. Just like you say - about money. But they did it in broad daylight, complete with the presence of elders and others of from the lower castes. It is not the motive (money) but the method (complete humiliation of the family and the message to others) that makes this a caste crime.
When atrocities such as these occur the reaction from the political quarters are usually predictable. The Udit Rajs of the Dalits take the opportunity to heap abuse on Hinduism, the parivaris look for defensive escape routes such as "money was the motive", "there was no official rape", "lower caste vs lower caste"(as if they were guilty), Congressis respond with more irrational policies, Naxals are probably more compassionate but blow up some completely unrelated family in another state for vengeance, NGOs and media care a hoot because no big heads are involved.
That caste related crimes have sanction of <i>Sanatana Dharma</i> is a shallow refuge of commies and their like and must be defended. But to arrogantly state that caste related crimes do not exist, that this particular incident was not one, that comparisons with other cases makes this an unworthy case is being unnecessarily defensive, digressive and dishonest. If at all, parivaris should be open to the fact. Bajrangis seem to have plenty of time punching romeos or policing behind the bush romantic interludes. Shouldnât their energy be focused on real life and much larger humiliations of women and children?
The right-wing writers care little too. Just one article worth mention in this thread addresses the issue correctly, rather caustically and with no pretensions of guilt. It is post #4 on this thread by Chandrabhan Prasad in the Pioneer and I quote the relevant portion:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"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. 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."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Similarly when the Jhajjar masacres happened only the one Varsha Bhosle said it like it should have been said.
When such incidents happen, it is very easy to get carried away by propaganda - offensive Dalit and defensive Parivari. Please let us get beyond that. At the very least let us be careful in making bold declarations in absolving caste. Surekha's 17 year-old daughter aspired to join the NDA and serve the nation in uniform. The humiliation she suffered in death should not be muddied with the cloudy fluff of political declarations and politically motivated official announcements.
Outside of the world of Dalit, Congressi, Commie, Sanghi "politics", the world of the Dalit is brutally repressive. In fact not just Dalits, but for anyone languishing in the bottom pit of the rural pseudo-social order that in more than one way bases itself on caste. Slurs in Hindi like <i>"badhjaat", "neech"</i> do not just arise in vacuum. They are meant to hurt the innermost psyche of the abused party. It is an abuse on their character, dignity and their <i>atman</i>. Crimes against them also follow a similar nature. A murder is not simply a murder, but brutal. The death is not simple hacking, but must be accompanied by complete denuding of character. The oppressor in this case has complete confidence that it is kosher to humiliate the abused even in death.
If the perpetrators of the crime had stealthily hacked this family in the cover of the night with Hitchcockian perfection, this would not have been a caste related murder. Just like you say - about money. But they did it in broad daylight, complete with the presence of elders and others of from the lower castes. It is not the motive (money) but the method (complete humiliation of the family and the message to others) that makes this a caste crime.
When atrocities such as these occur the reaction from the political quarters are usually predictable. The Udit Rajs of the Dalits take the opportunity to heap abuse on Hinduism, the parivaris look for defensive escape routes such as "money was the motive", "there was no official rape", "lower caste vs lower caste"(as if they were guilty), Congressis respond with more irrational policies, Naxals are probably more compassionate but blow up some completely unrelated family in another state for vengeance, NGOs and media care a hoot because no big heads are involved.
That caste related crimes have sanction of <i>Sanatana Dharma</i> is a shallow refuge of commies and their like and must be defended. But to arrogantly state that caste related crimes do not exist, that this particular incident was not one, that comparisons with other cases makes this an unworthy case is being unnecessarily defensive, digressive and dishonest. If at all, parivaris should be open to the fact. Bajrangis seem to have plenty of time punching romeos or policing behind the bush romantic interludes. Shouldnât their energy be focused on real life and much larger humiliations of women and children?
The right-wing writers care little too. Just one article worth mention in this thread addresses the issue correctly, rather caustically and with no pretensions of guilt. It is post #4 on this thread by Chandrabhan Prasad in the Pioneer and I quote the relevant portion:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"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. 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."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Similarly when the Jhajjar masacres happened only the one Varsha Bhosle said it like it should have been said.
When such incidents happen, it is very easy to get carried away by propaganda - offensive Dalit and defensive Parivari. Please let us get beyond that. At the very least let us be careful in making bold declarations in absolving caste. Surekha's 17 year-old daughter aspired to join the NDA and serve the nation in uniform. The humiliation she suffered in death should not be muddied with the cloudy fluff of political declarations and politically motivated official announcements.