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Caste violence

Dalit attacked for sitting beside upper caste man on bus

Everywhere in India there is discrimination by upper caste people towards Dalits. They face daily subjugation, living a life of humiliation under the unwritten caste codes.

Karuppusamy, an 18-year-old painter, was travelling home by bus from work on February 10th, 2010, in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. He sat down beside an upper caste man. The man and his companions instantly reacted by abusing him with caste-based curses (Sakkili dog, how daring you are to sit beside a Gounder caste man!)

After abusive language and threats of violence Karuppusamy got off the bus and went home swiftly. The upper caste men went to his home and attacked him again. Karuppusamy was injured and needed hospital treatment. A complaint was lodged with police about this caste atrocity but the police took no action. So more than 500 members of the Dalit activist organisation AMMK picketed and persuaded the police to register a case under the Prevention of Atrocity Act. But although a case was registered, the offenders have not, so far, been arrested.

Thangavel, AMMK convenor, said: “This incident tells us that Arunthathiyar people (a Dalit sub-group) are unable to sit equally and travel equally in public carriers even after 60 years of Indian freedom. This raises a question: ‘How long should we permit this situation to exist’.” Caste