Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

A culmination

Thursday's violence does not come as a surprise. It is the culmination of Dalit outrage at many atrocities, particularly the incident that took place in a village called Khairlanji on September 29. Where four members of a Dalit family paid with their lives for daring to assert their rights.

The shocking incident would have sent a shiver down the spine of any sane human being. But it just did not seem to move any champion of social justice. No yatra, no fast, no rally and no lighting of candles in a country where the human rights industry organises morchas to protest the death sentence awarded to Saddam Hussein and Mohammed Afzal, and to seek justice for Priyadarshini Mattoo. The truth is, amid the rhetoric of all-round development, many Bhaiyyalals and their families are being butchered. We allow them to happen. That is why Maharashtra is burning now.

P. Sankaranarayanan,
Bhubaneswar

From the post-Godhra riots to Khairlanji, the people have lost faith in the justice system. It is a shame that in a country that gave the philosophy of non-violence to the world, one cannot get justice pursuing non-violent means.

K.V. Ravi Kumar,
Kollegal, Karnataka

Had the Government taken steps to assuage the Dalits' feelings after Khairlanji, the desecration issue would not have blown up thus. A mutiny is always sparked by a small issue.

K. Zeenath,
Malappuram

The statue desecration is one in a series of incidents that has provoked a storm of spontaneous protests from Dalit organisations. In the elitist vocabulary, Dalit activists are `lumpen elements' though.

Humiliated and despised for centuries, Dalits continue to be subjected to all sorts of indignities. Given their untold deprivation, they are unable to break the shackles of `sanctified apartheid.'

In the Indian context, one's caste identity matters most and prevails over everything else. All mainstream political parties are dominated by the forward castes. The media are no exception.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, T.N.

Thursday's violence was not just a protest against the desecration of Dr. Ambedkar's statue; it was a protest against the prolonged human rights violation of Dalits. Lathicharge, teargas shells, and firing can curb violence temporarily.

If the nation is committed to finding a lasting solution, it should act swiftly to address the concerns of Dalits. This is not to say violence is acceptable. It is to be condemned in the strongest terms.

S. Sethu Mahendran,
Dindigul, T.N.

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