The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : A testimony

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Wednesday, Sep 07, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

A testimony

The burning down of 50 Dalit houses in Gohana, Haryana, reflects the age-old tradition of discrimination and oppression based on the caste system ("There's a much larger house on fire," Sept. 6). It is also an eye-opener for those who advocate doing away with caste-based reservation. It is time they swallowed the bitter pill about the plight of Dalits. How can the 3000-year-old practice of discriminating against people on the basis of caste be removed in just 60 years?

Siddhartha Bhatti,
New Delhi

It is a shame that the law-enforcement agencies were not able to prevent such a heinous crime. It would be better for the Government to close down the police stations in the area.

Balaji Krishnan,
Coimbatore

That such an outrage could take place in a civilised society is shocking; that it is caste-based is worse; and that it is tolerated is a continuing indictment of Indian democracy and society. No economic reform can bring about real progress unless specific policies and actions are put in place to tackle inequity. In India, all inequity can be traced to caste.

Annapurna Nori,
Wayville, Australia

It is a shame that even after 58 years of independence, basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution elude some sections. The fact that the state remains a silent spectator to the atrocities committed on Dalits from time to time, and allows social discrimination to flourish, is puzzling.

N.S. Ramachandran,
Hyderabad

While the rich among Dalits continue to prosper, the poor Dalit is still voiceless and whenever an incident like the killing of a Jat at Gohana occurs, all hell breaks loose on him. Unfortunately, the Constitution helps politicians to make a huge killing out of his suffering. Let the truly poor and the needy be helped at all cost. But for God's sake call them Indians first, Indians second, and Indians last.

V.N. Balakrishna,
Ahmedabad

The burning of buses, causing injury to policemen on duty, and beating up of school children by protesters during a demonstration against the Gohana incident in Amritsar (Sept. 6) were unfortunate. We should recall President S. Radhakrishnan's warning: "Every act of violence will retard the progress of our social revolution."

K. Suryanarayanan,
Chennai

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