Victimhood Turned Upside Down

The brutal rape of a Maratha girl by Dalit men has become a rallying point to reassert Maratha pride.

- Prachi Pinglay-Plumber

AT the end of the Maratha Kranti Mook Morcha (Maratha Revolution Silent March) in Nashik, at least eight girls made impassioned speeches about the ‘community’s feelings’. The quietest was Jana Choudhary, whose parents had both committed suicide because of the unending drought. “No one should have to go through what I did. No one should have to die. Farmers should be protected,” she said softly in Marathi.

But her earnest call seemed to get drowned amidst evocative, explosive demands made by the other girls for bru­tally punishing and killing the accused in the Kopardi gang rape case. The girls wept, screamed and said that their community sister’s death must be avenged at any cost. One of the demands was that the SC/ST Atrocities Act should be repealed, a reaction to the fact that the accused in the gan­g rape and murder are Dalits. Many in the crowd—said to be from 10 lakh to 40 lakh (depending on who you ask)—were moved. The organisers had lined up the entire ‘si­lent’ march route with loudspeakers for everyone to listen loud and clear.

For the past month, the silent demonstra­tions have taken the state by storm. In terms of discipline, mobilisation and frequency, the marches have broken all records. Women walk in the front, no one throws garbage, they carry placards and saffron flags, no selfies are taken and no politician is allowed to speak. Moreover, all participants are emphatic about how they are participating for personal reasons.

So far 18 morchas have been completed, each claiming a higher participation figure than the one before. It is likely to culminate in a maha morcha in Mumbai in October. Till then, the chief minister will be pre­sented memorandums via district collectors and other officials. As of now, no delegation has been formed to meet the government if and when the need arises.