The recent spate of heinous crimes, including rape and murder, against Dalits has led to tension in several areas of Rajasthan and left the law–enforcement agencies here baffled. The police investigation in most of the cases has revealed the caste angle, aggravated by the calls from the local dominant people to isolate and target the Dalit communities.
While the Dalit groups here have demanded an action plan to deal with the rising cases of atrocities, the Congress government in the State has sought to create an institutional mechanism to protect Dalits against social injustice and all forms of exploitation. A Bill for establishment of a development fund for the Scheduled Castes was passed by voice vote in the Assembly on Wednesday.
In the latest instance, a 32-year-old Dalit man was allegedly forced to rub his nose on a platform inside a temple in Alwar district when he made some remarks on the film The Kashmir Files, which were termed ‘blasphemous’ by the people belonging to higher castes. Rajesh Meghwal had uploaded a post saying atrocities were committed not just against Kashmiri Pandits but against Dalits and other communities as well.
