Kuldip Chand Dobhetta
The day-by-day deteriorating conditions of Dalits living in India, who have been given the names Ati-Shudra, Untouchable, Ad-Dharmi, Moolnivasi, etc. have become a matter of concern. Dalits were identified as oppressed groups during British rule and have been classified as Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Constitution. According to the Manuvadi system, Shudras are considered the lowest among the four categories of castes. It’s also a bitter truth that some of the castes were called untouchables and touching them was considered a sin various social, economic, religious, and political restrictions were imposed on these castes due to which the lives of the people belonging to these castes have been worse than animals. Many social, religious, and political leaders have launched agitations to improve the conditions of the Dalits throughout history. Some changes have come in their lives and development has taken place. But these changes and development have been limited to only a small percentage of Dalits.
History is also witness to many moments where Dalits have left Hinduism and adopted Sikh, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist religions. When British rule came to the country, the Dalits got opportunities that were not available before. Many Dalits started doing government jobs after studying due to which they left the villages and started living in the cities. The Dalits got the right to education due to which their upliftment started and many Dalits abandoned their caste-based occupations.
Despite opposition from society, the Phule family ran educational institutions for these sections and created awareness against social evils. Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj who was the king of the princely state of Kolhapur from 1894 to 1922, was known for his democratic ideals and progressive policies. After the demise of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Shahu Maharaj actively supported the Satyashodhak and non-Brahmin movement in Maharashtra. On July 26, 1902, Shahu Maharaj gave a historic order to reserve 50% government jobs for lower castes in his princely state of Kolhapur. This was one of the earliest instances of reservation for lower castes as a matter of state policy. The order reads, “His Highness orders that, of all the seats that go vacant from the date of this proclamation, 50% should be filled with the backward classes.”
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar studied abroad with the scholarship scheme run by the Maharaja of Baroda Sayajirao Gaekwad. He worked to bring revolutionary changes in the lives of the oppressed sections by making education a weapon to break centuries of oppression. Born on 14 January 1886, in the village of Mugowal in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, Babu Mangu Ram Mugowalia opened the first school for the children of the untouchables in his village and established the Ad Dharm Mandal in 1926. Under their leadership, the Simon Commission sent by the British visited Punjab, and they sent Dr. Ambedkar to the Round Table Conferences as a representative of the untouchables. After a long struggle and debate the Dalits got the name of Ad Dharm and the right to study, buy property, and vote. Ad Dharam was added for the first time in the census held in 1931, and at that time about 418789 people in Punjab which was about 1.5 percent of the total population had written their religion as Adi Dharm.
After the Round Table Conferences in London, the British government approved a separate electoral system for Dalits called the Communal Award. In protest against this Communal Award Congress leader Gandhi fasted to death in Yerwada Jail on 20th September 1932, and on 24th September 1932, an agreement was signed between Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhi called the Poona Pact. In this agreement instead of the separate electoral system and the right to double vote some seats were reserved for Dalits in various legislative assemblies of India. Many Dalit leaders have considered Poona Pact agreement a betrayal of the Dalits. Dr. Ambedkar also considered this agreement a mistake in his book “State and Minorities”. During the 1937 elections, the Congress party also betrayed Babasaheb and interfered with reservations contrary to their promise.
In the 1937 elections held in Punjab, the Ad Dharm Mandal led by Babu Mangu Ram Mugowalia contested and won seven out of the eight reserved seats. In 1946 Babu Mangu Ram became an MLA with four other colleagues. The Ad Dharm campaign ended after a few years.
On 15th August 1947, the country became independent and its own constitution was written which was fully implemented on 26 January 1950. The Constituent Assembly included Dr. Ambedkar and twenty-nine other Dalit members, most of whom were elected from the Congress party.
In independent India special provisions were made in the Constitution for the development of people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. But most Dalits especially those living in villages and slums are still suffering from the lack of basic amenities for life. Many Dalits who were able to escape from these conditions keep their identity hidden and even forget their background.
Saheb Kanshi Ram was born on 15 March 1934 in Rupnagar district of Punjab. He started a campaign to create awareness among Dalits in 1971. In 1973 he founded the Backward and Minority Community Employees Federation (BAMCEF). He launched a campaign following the principles of “Educate, Organise and Agitate” given by Dr. Ambedkar, and on 6th December 1981 he formed a social organization named Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS-4). On 14th April 1984, he formed a political party Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and announced that he would come to power in the country to fulfill the dreams of crores of Dalits of India. In 1992 the Bahujan Samaj Party emerged as a major political party in the Punjab assembly elections in which 9 MLAs were elected and became the main opposition party in Punjab. BSP has formed the government in Uttar Pradesh several times and sent many members to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and various assembly seats.
But for the last several years there has been a stagnation in the Bahujan movement. At present the Bharatiya Janata Party government is running in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and governments of different political parties are working in different states of the country. Several Dalit leaders are included in these governments and many hold important positions. Despite all this, the atrocities being committed against Dalits and the scams happening in the welfare schemes made for Dalits are a matter of serious concern. Various political parties make many promises to attract Dalit voters, but most are never fulfilled. The funds allocated for Dalit welfare schemes run by the government are shrinking day by day.
At present innumerable social, religious, and political organizations are functioning in the name of Dalits which claim to work for the development of Dalits. Seeing all these it might seem that Dalits have overcome their oppression now and the atrocities against Dalits are historical events but this is not all true. The fact is that even today Dalits are being discriminated against and the incidents of atrocities are continuously increasing. The oppressor class opposes the constitutional rights and facilities given to Dalits and is agitating to abolish these rights and facilities. On the other hand, many leaders and intellectuals of the Dalit class are making society directionless for their interests.
After independence in the last few years Dalits of the country have staged protests against some major incidents of atrocities including the agitation against the murder of Sant Ramanand, Bharat Bandh against the decision to amend the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the protests against the demolition of the Sri Guru Ravidas Temple in Tughlakabad in Delhi, the Rohith Vemula murder case, the Mirchapur incident, Abohar incident, the Badaun, Hathras incidents, attack on the statue of Babasaheb in Amritsar, etc. However, the increasing incidents of atrocities against Dalits in various states of the country is a big question mark on the performance and role of Dalit leaders and intellectuals in our society. While various Governments are responsible for such inhuman atrocities the intellectual class and so-called leaders of the Dalit society are also responsible. Babasaheb Ambedkar had also pointed out that he had been betrayed by the educated people. BSP leader Saheb Kanshi Ram had also given the title of chamchas (stooges) to such people. Many social, religious, and political organizations and so-called intellectuals are pawning the rights of the society to the opponents for their gain instead of protecting Dalit issues.
Today while on the one hand, Dalits need to be protected from people with an anti-Dalit mentality on the other hand there is a need to be aware of the social, religious, and political leaders and intellectuals of the Dalit society who work for their gain instead of protecting the rights of the society.
~~~
Advocate Kuldip Chand Dobhetta is from Rupnagar, Punjab.
