Status of Dalits ft. the most literate and the most illiterate state
Case 1: Chickens over Dalits
One year ago, in the Bhojpur district of Bihar under Tarari police station, five persons belonging to dalit community got injured after being fired upon by members of upper caste groups. Issue being chickens raised by the Dalit family which the dominant caste men were trying to steal.
One day ago, in Purnia district of Bihar, a Dalit colony was set on fire by some UC Muslims. The mobs set fire to the dalit settlement; dozen houses got reduced to ashes, an elderly retired watchman was lynched to death, a pregnant woman brutally assaulted, a 3-year old reported missing among other casualties. Issue being land disputes.
With regard to the massacre of 58 Dalits in Laxmanpur Bathe village in Jehanabad district 16 years ago, the Bihar government today pronounced to appeal in the Supreme Court against a Patna High Court verdict acquitting all 26 accused, 16 of whom were awarded death sentence by a lower court. Suspected members of Ranveer Sena, the outlawed upper caste militia had massacred 58 Dalits at Laxmanpur Bathe village on December 1, 1997. All the victims being Dalits, the youngest was one-year-old and a pregnant woman. 26 men were charged. In 2010, The Additional District and Sessions Judge Vijai Prakash Mishra of the Patna Civil Court sentenced 16 men to death and 10 to life imprisonment. Later in 2013, all of the massacre-accused were acquitted by the Patna High Court.
Case 2: Status Quo over Dalits
Hoping everyone’s done celebrating the wisest decision of the wisest state by now. So, time for some fact-checks!
Where on the one hand, CM Vijayan was celebrating the swearing-in event with 500 invitees, cutting red-velvet, flouting the pandemic protocols (though that’s not my concern) but what my concern is, at the same time, on the other hand, mother of two minor Dalit girls (one being 13, another 8) who were raped and found hanging inside their one-room house 52 days apart four years ago from now, recommenced her agitation. The Walayar mothers’ allegation is that the LDF government was protecting police officers DYSP M.J. Sojan and P.C. Chacko, who according to her had been responsible for scuttling the case.
Along with the mother, members of the Walayar Action Council also took the pledge online. The Walayar Action Council chairman Vilayodi Venugopal and patron C.R. Neelakandan stated the mother pledged to carry on the agitation until the two police officers are expelled from service.
Even after the findings of the post-mortem reports stated sexual abuse and raised doubts of murder, the police and the prosecution failed to get conviction for the accused in POCSO court which led to their acquittal.
The vindication of the accused, who had links with the ruling CPI (M), agitated a wave of protests, which compelled the government to file an appeal in the High Court for re-investigation. The High Court gave its order for a reinvestigation, later a CBI inquiry.
To seek justice for her children and all those poor people who are denied justice by such police officers, mother of slain Walayar girls had contested in the Assembly election against Mr. Vijayan. Her candidacy was a mark of protest against the LDF government and the Chief Minister for their dubious dealing of the case. Motive being enlightening comrades who weren’t aware of the issue, in better words, who could afford to stay unaware of the issue
Coming to the new Pinarayi cabinet;
“Even if the statutory reservation norm in government service is applied, there should be two Dalit ministers in the cabinet,” said Dalit thinker and writer Sunny M Kapikad.
And how many do we have? One. That too, Minister K Radhakrishnan who is a senior leader and has well proved his worth serving as a minister and a speaker, is assigned with the most insignificant portfolio- temple administration. Here, it wouldn’t be wrong saying the major problems concerning Dalits they feel is entry in temples; issues regarding discrimination in academic and other public spaces, poverty, land, representation and rights just does not matter. Point to me the revolutionary aspect of it comrades!
In the most apt words, Kapikad- “When we ask why there is not a Dalit politburo member, CPM leaders say merit is the criterion. When a leader from Dalit community comes up the ladder by virtue of his merit, the leadership intervenes to stop his growth at a certain level.”
Adding insult to the injury, Malayalam movie industry produces movies like NAYATTU. The movie is casteist and highly problematic in all its senses and spirits.
The Malayalam movie and the mass acclamation it got is the true reflection of how vicious the Savarnas have turned against Dalits in the current times.
The movie does not have a single or few flaws but is a flaw in entirety. It depicts an honest Dalit policeman who hangs himself in the end reason being death of a guy who’s again a Dalit. He is friends with the Dalit guy who is a relative of another Dalit policewoman who’s filed a case against him for continuous harassment issue being feudal issues. The two Dalit police personnels are in the same Police Station where after appearing regarding the complaint against him, the accused dalit starts behaving rowdy while also getting involved in a physical brawl with police personnels. It doesn’t end here. After the road accident between the Dalit policemen’s car which was not being driven by them but another Dalit guy who escapes the scene and later on denies the charge, putting everything on the honest Dalit policeman. These policemen do not flee the scene, they take the injured Dalit guy to the hospital where the other group of ‘problematic Dalit group’ as the scriptwriter tries to portray are present. They literally chase these three police personnels afraid of whom, the poor honest police has to flee. Now the entire system ranging from their own police contacts to the politicians, team up against them. This part can be believed for a moment as who ultimately backs honest Dalits employed in government services? Hard truth- No one.
In the movie, the sect against Dalits are Dalits only. Now the Savarna lens has two categories of Dalits- Good Dalits, Bad Dalits. Where do we fit, choice is theirs. Any sane mind can comprehend if Dalits are such strong forces in the system which can make the soul of the state shiver as portrayed in the movie or not. Dalit organizations which are there for safeguarding the rights of the community, are portrayed in such a vicious light I wonder where they cultivate such thoughts from. I’m reminded of the case of Subrahmanyam Saderla here. How powerless the Dalit organizations and justice systems proved to be. That’s the truth, none of this. Period.
But the movie has something else to show- a world where Dalits get such free-hands to do whatever and get away with that. I can add hundred more examples of how state machineries largely oppress Dalits, their rights and movements using its police force.
Enmity between Dalits, misuse of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, state being influenced by a Dalit organization is all the movie has casted lighted upon.
Sole motive of the movie was to practically contribute to Savarna consciousness of the Malayalis which cannot demarcate between real vs unreal. Classic upper-caste narrative- Dalit vs Dalit Vs Dalit.
Maybe Shahi Kabir was trying to make not a movie but a parody of the new Kerala model!
Awaiting to see a Dalit as the State’s CM, would be even happier if it’s a dalit woman. Not Bihar, but UP can definitely lead.
Jai Bhim!
-Swe
