LIVES, BURIED

Despite being banned by the Constitution, untouchability persists in India, across villages and cities.

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR

Discrimination permeates areas such as educational institutions, places of worship, courtrooms, police stations, factories, government offices and even corporate boardrooms and party offices

On March 12, members of the dalit community in Gidhagram, West Bengal, entered the Gidheshwar Shiv temple, breaking a longstanding caste barrier. These dalit families, traditionally cobblers and weavers, were denied entry to the temple during the Maha Shivratri celebrations, exposing the illusion of a modern and egalitarian state. They were finally able to visit the temple, but only under police protection.

This incident is far from isolated. Caste discrimination and the practice of untouchability continue to plague India. Although 75 years have passed since untouchability was abolished under Article 17 of the Constitution, dalits, also known as scheduled castes (SC), continue to be excluded from public spaces, including crematoriums. While local authorities in Gidhagram intervened to protect the constitutional rights of the marginalised, the persistence of such practices highlighted the failure of systemic reform.

In September 2024, a 30-metre 'untouchability wall' constructed by caste Hindus in Vishwanatham village in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, to conceal the cremation ground used by dalits, was demolished by panchayat authorities. In Karnataka's Yadgir district, the midday meal programme at a government school was disrupted after the cook and his assistant refused to wash the plates used by dalit children. In another incident, a government school headmistress, Nirmala Dange, in the same district received death threats after inviting a dalit as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations.