Caste out the demon

It is ironical indeed that Maharashtra, which has long prided itself on being one of India’s most progressive states, should be witnessing a spate of attacks on Dalits. Sushil Kumar Shinde, much-hailed as the state’s first Dalit chief minister, believes that he can end both the problem and the efforts of his political rivals to exploit the situation, by invoking the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) against the perpetrators of the violence. This is a self-delusional move. It is, after all, not for the lack of legal instruments that caste violence continues to rear its ugly head in the state. If the state’s criminal justice system cannot put an end to it by deploying existing legislation, like the Prevention of Atrocities Against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act, it is extremely unlikely that Pota will do the trick.

Instead of threatening to unleash a unweildy anti-terrorism law, Shinde would be better employed in discovering whether his administrators and police are doing their job as independent guardians of law and order. How, for instance, could the upper caste community in Raigad’s Hatkeli village ensure that lower-caste families were denied water from the village well in the height of summer without the state’s functionaries being aware of the move? Or were they, indeed, complicit in this crime? Shinde, and his home minister Chhagan Bhujbal, had better ask themselves some hard questions about why attacks of this kind continue to take place in a state that saw some of the most concerted Dalit mobilisation in the country’s history, presided over by none other than Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

It is no use for Bhujbal to claim that he will put down such violence with an iron hand or for Shinde to offer to resign as chief minister. Both these gentlemen, unfortunately, appear more concerned about neutralising the moves that their political rival, the Shiv Sena, is making to woo Dalits in time for the next elections, rather than to knuckle down and confront the demon of caste violence staring them in the face. But they had better be warned. The grand gesture — like invoking Pota — can be no substitute for an administration and political system that is effective, efficient and equal.