Unabated Deaths of Manual Scavengers Demand Justice, Not Silence
June 8, 2025, New Delhi, India— At a time when the government claims that manual scavenging has been eradicated, the ongoing and preventable deaths of sewer and septic tank workers…
Annihilate Caste
Emerging from the Sewers: Class, Legacy, and the Governance of Sanitation
In India, caste based oppression has long been linked to sanitation and related activities. Dalits make up the majority of these workers, particularly the manual scavengers. These workers, who come…
The violence of being Unseen
(A personal reflection on the quiet violence of caste-based exclusion in everyday, intimate spaces.) It’s not like someone installed a software in me to feel excluded. It was the repeated…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Casteism in India
“Will AI support social justice or is it waiting in the wings to bury social justice once and for all?” Historical biases already ingrained in present system of India will…
What is the Strength and Weakness of Dalit Politics and its Future?
(Note: This article has been written with the help of Grok Chatbot AI. It is a matter of great satisfaction that it is very close to the truth. It has…
The Untouchable Problem from Bhagat Singh’s View
According to the published documents of Bhagat Singh and his comrades, Bhagat Singh had written an article on the problem of untouchables under the name 'Vidrohi' in 'Kirti' of June…
Dalits should be cautious of the divisive policies of BJP-RSS:All India Peoples Front
• Dalits should be cautious of the divisive policies of BJP-RSS • Supreme Court's decision on SC-ST sub-classification is not based on facts - Prof. Thorat • Unity of Dalits…
Dalits’ Condition Remains Dire Despite Reservation, says Sukhadeo Thorat
Despite decades of reservation policies aimed at addressing historical injustices, the socio-economic condition of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in India remains dire, as highlighted by Sukhadeo Thorat, former Chairman of the…
Bhakti-Kal and Caste Question
An abridged version of talk delivered on 23rd October, 2024 at Calicut University I say this with emphasis that in Indian history two periods, only two periods, came as a…
Dr. Ambedkar’s Dream of Economic Empowerment of Dalits is Incomplete
On 14 October 1956, Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in Nagpur due to untouchability, caste and class divisions in Hinduism. This day is as important for his followers as 14…
Court Rebukes Caste-Based Discrimination in Prisons
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has directed all states and union territories to immediately amend prison rules to stop caste-based discrimination and segregation of labor in prisons. The…
Poona Pact and Its Adverse Effects
Caste is considered to be the cornerstone of Indian Hindu society. In this structure of hierarchical inequality, the untouchables are at the lowest level, who were officially called 'Depressed Classes'…
Has the Caste Vanished?
Amid the twin issues of Caste Census and Sub-categorization of reservation of SCs/STs and ‘creamy layer’ among SCs, it must be remembered that caste issues have always been tweaked and…
Justice Chandru Committee’s Report On Caste Discrimination In Tamilnadu’s Schools – More notable are the attitudes and responses in the Periyarist state
The one-man committee of Justice K Chandru handed over its 600-page report to the the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin (second from Right) on June 18, 2024. Three…
Empowering the last person of the most marginalised sections was the dream of Dr Ambedkar
Vidya Bhushan Rawat's conversation with Ambedkarite writer Sanjeev Khudshah on why he supports classification of the scheduled castes for reservation purposes Sanjeev Khudshah was born on 12 February 1973 in…
The Morality of “Paying Back” amidst the Academic Uncertainties among Dalit Early Career Researcher
How does the moral obligation to ‘pay back to society’ manifest in the lives of early-career researchers (ECRs) from the Dalit community? While this obligation is imperative for social justice,…
From Buddha to Bhakti Movement to BR Ambedkar, from Democracy to Modernity – The Antidotes to Caste Have Failed to Work
The caste system in India, a rigid social hierarchy that classifies people into different groups based on birth, has long been a source of inequality and discrimination. Despite numerous efforts…
Dalit Memory and Dalit Identity
Abstract Introduction Remembered histories make up our inner lives, and that of our families and communities. Happy and joyful memories, dimly-remembered and unexplained events as children have a way of…
Kararamchedu carnage: Remembering 40 years later…Whither Dalit Movement?
The drawing is part of a graphic depiction of what happened in Karamchedu, after decades of Court battles - which is not unique to that episode.The culprits who belonged to…
Killing Of Three Dalit Youths And Other Atrocities Against Their Families in Sagar District MP
A fact-finding report by concerned citizens of Madhya Pradesh July 2024 About the Report In August 2023, there were widespread media reports of the lynching of an 18-year-old Dalit youth…
The Afterlife of Rohith Vemula: Why is there a Never-Ending Saga of Humiliation?
It would not be an exaggeration if the singular exceptionality[1] of the figure 'Rohith Vemula' amounts to a turning point in the history of the social justice movement in India.…
Breaking Barriers or Reinforcing Them? The Caste Dynamics of a Controversial Hug
Divya S Iyer, an IAS officer from Kerala, posted a picture on her social media a few days ago of her hugging CPM leader K Radhakrishnan, who recently quit the…
Towards a ‘Suitable’ Ambedkar and a ‘New’ Dalit ! How Ten Years of Modi Regime Has Undermined Constitutional Rights to Dalits
“If the fundamental rights are opposed by the community, no Law, no Parliament, no Judiciary can guarantee them in the real sense of the word”,..“What is the use of fundamental…
All-India Feminist Sisterhood and Solidarity with Radhika Vemula
Dear Radhika garu, Jai Bhim. We, the undersigned members of the All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), write to express our unwavering support and solidarity with you, as you are forced to…
The agony of Dalit Christians in the Indian political field
The Supreme Court of India’s Judgment in K.P. Manu v. Chairman, Scrutiny Committee, (2015) 4 SCC 1, para 27 says: “A Church of South India Commission in 1964 investigating the…
Manudharma and Indian Secularism
(Chief Guest speech at DHPS Conference on Manudharma, Dalits and Constitution held on 17-3-2024, Visakhapatnam.) Manudharma, the ancient Hindu code is still haunting the lives of people. The importance and…
Caste Divide on the Wheels: A Tale of Bus Services and Social Justice in the Nilgiris
Pursuant to the news published in The Hindu on 29 February 2024 regarding the Badaga community members refusing to allow bus to ply to SC/ST villages in the Nilgiris, a…
Whether delinking religion and making the Scheduled Castes net as religion neutral is Constitutional?
The Constitution (SC) Order 1950 paragraph 3 issued under Article 341 of the Constitution is religion based, which says, “Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph 2, no person who professes a…
Criminal Tribes Act 1871-Denying Dignity to Anti-British Rebels
Indian ‘lower castes and communities’, particularly those, who fought with arms against the British were treated by the English men as uncivilised and barbarous Tribes. Rohilla war took place in…
‘Dereservation’ -Whether the genie is out of the bottle finally
UGC led by Chairman Jagdeesh Kumar refuses to remain beyond controversy for long time. The latest being its draft proposal of 'dereservation' of seats if not a suitable candidate from…
Legal Framework to Empower Property Denied Castes in India
We are meeting today, the day that signifies this convergence of Law and Economics in the form of adopting the Constitution of India 74 years ago in 1949. The person…
Deaf and Blind Dalit MPs in the Indian Parliament
Kursi hai tumhara ye janaza to nahin hai Kuchh kar nahin sakte to uter kyon nahin jaate First of all, I presume that the Dalit MPs have no time to…
Tamilnadu : Drinking water-tank of Vengaivayal dalit colony found with human excreta mixed: no arrests, no breakthrough even after one year
More shocking is this: Despite High Court orders, a CB-CID probe and CM’s assurances in the legislature to nab the culprits, attention of National Commission for Scheduled Castes, no arrests…
Dr.Ambedkar had burnt Manusmriti: Why?
Today is 25th December. This is a very important day for Dalits as “Manusmriti Dahan Diwas.” It is also celebrated as "Equality Day". On this day in 1927, on the…
Bhagat Singh’s Revolutionary Viewpoint On Caste Question Now Relevant
In a background, wherein ‘reforms’ are ever more turning reactionary and beefing up the reactionary ruling classes,that we look back on Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary viewpoint on caste question. We feel…
Why do Dalits dislike Gandhi?
The fight between Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar (1891-1956) and M.K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is well documented in the chronicles of Indian history. Dr. Ambedkar was a champion…
Separate electorate vis a vis joint electorate with reservation-True political rights to untouchables (SCs)
In modern democratic governance, political representation of citizens is vital to the public policy-making process. Every citizen must have the right to be represented in legislative bodies that frame policies…
Scriptural basis of varna/caste system in India
Let us see how the Hindu scriptures paved the way for the caste system. There are many important ingredients in the varna system that gave rise to the caste system.…
Chidambaram’s New Caste Consciousness
P.Chidambaram is a senior most leader of the Congress party. Besides being a Harvard law graduate, he is a well established political leader in the Congress party. He comes from…
Dr. Ambedkar`s Statues vandalized and hatred behind it
Since the death of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in 1956, a wave of hatred among Hindu groups is flourishing. Hindu groups and its leaders claim that ‘Reservation’ for the Scheduled Castes…
Dalits get Jail instead of Land Under Yogi Raj
These days, Yogi's BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is holding conferences of Dalits at various places claiming to be Dalit friendly and acting for their welfare. The truth of his…
Sharon Murder case – A ‘caste killing’ disguised as a ‘love-hate’ murder in Kerala
The news that fuelled the newsrooms of Kerala last year in October has returned to the discussions once again as Greeshma R Nair, the prime accused in Sharon Raj's murder…
Towards the Equitable Path: Bihar Caste Survey and Social Justice
Breaking the Myth of Caste The nation is still debating on Women Reservation Bill which has turned into an act now, and inclusion of OBC women into it then the…
Caste Census Will Expose The Culprits: Anand Teltumbde
Role of caste in Indian Politics is significant and It influences the political landscape, electoral strategies, and socio-economic dynamics of the country. Caste, a social system based on hereditary occupational divisions, has…
Dr. Ambedkar and Buddham Sharanam
Dr. Ambedkar had exposure to Buddhism early in his life by means of a Marathi book on the Buddha gifted by one of his teachers. Yet his path to formally…
Governor Newsom’s Veto on SB 403 on Caste Discrimination in California Is Disappointing
It's unfortunate that Mr. Newsom failed to understand the goals of the nefarious Hindutva nexus. Casteism in the United States can be more covert and subtle than in South Asia,…
IAMC expresses disappointment over Governor Newsom’s decision to veto bill on caste discrimination in California
Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2023)— The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a prominent advocacy organization committed to promoting justice, pluralism, and the civil rights of Indian Americans, has expressed its…
The Victory of an Untouchable
(From the Pages of History) The Reader's Digest- March 1950 - Condensed from Christian Herald Blake Clark. (Note: This article appeared in The Reader's Digest- March 1950. It was typed…
The Unholy Origins of Castes in India
Adi Shankaracharya, reflecting on the sublime mysteries of non-dualism, the undifferentiated reality and the irrevocable principle of oneness governing all existence, emerged from the waters after performing his daily ablutions…
Poona Pact: A Reappraisal
Special on Poona Pact Day on 24th September Caste is considered the cornerstone of Indian Hindu society. In this structure of hierarchical inequality, the untouchables were at the bottom and…
Ramasamy Naicker Periyar’s Uttar Pradesh connection
According to available details, EV Ramasamy Naikar Periyar came to Uttar Pradesh in 1944, 1959 and 1968. In 1944 and 1959, he came to Lucknow to address the Sammelan of…
Dr Ambedkar on the Justice Party of Madras
It is the historical speech of Dr. Ambedkar which discusses the reasons for the failure of the Justice Party and the shortcomings of the Dravidian movement As far as I…
Dr.Ambedkar, Sanatan Dharma and Dalit Politics
At present, the entire country is discussing the remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a meeting about Sanatana Dharma. In this, he…
What Dr. Ambedkar had done for the Backward Castes?
Dr. Ambedkar is often recognized as the saviour of Dalits, while he fought for the rights of all downtrodden classes, Dalits and Backwards. But because of the varna system, the…
Brazen and unchecked casteism, even in schools of Periyarist Tamil Nadu, Dalit teen and sister hacked by dominant caste students
A 17-year-old Dalit student Chinnadurai, and his 14-year-old sister were attacked with sickles, at 10:30 pm on August 9 at his house, by six minors in Nanguneri in Tamil Nadu’s…
Caste system and unitary state
Caste system is not federal. It is in a unitary because of its hierarchical nature. The castes are separate but not independent or equal. It is one caste centric and…
IMSD condemns caste-based discrimination by a Kerala mosque
Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) is shocked by the decision of a masjid committee in Kerala asking a Dalit Muslim to stay away from a general meeting on the…
Migration is essential to spread Ambedkarism
Migration has played a crucial vital role in the development and evolution of humankind. Exchange of idea’s, knowledge, cultures, food, medicines, economics….. religion, philosophy, and ideologies etc together contribute to…
Neo-Buddhists have progressed more than Hindu Dalits
Dr. Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar first hinted at religious conversion during the Mahad Talab Satyagraha in 1927 when he said, “We want equal rights in society. We will achieve as…
Who ‘stagnated’ the Ambedkarite ‘movement’?
Ambedkarite movement is a term most Dalits, Bahujans, Activists, Academia from Social Sciences and Political fraternity are aware of. This has been and will be used abundantly in their writings,…
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