Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Dalits' message

This refers to the editorial "Message from Dalits" (Dec. 5). Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's statue was desecrated at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and violence erupted in Maharashtra. The reasons for the violence are not far to seek. The killing of four members of a Dalit family in Khairlanji was perhaps the most important cause for the flare-up.

The State administration, as usual, failed to act against the culprits and those officials who reportedly helped to cover up the shameful incident. Those who protested the killings were suppressed and branded as naxalites. The Maharashtra Government is solely to blame for the violence that followed the statue desecration episode.

P. Saravanan,
Coimbatore

The insensitive state machinery and indifferent political class failed to read the situation caused by the simmering anger of Dalits. As rightly pointed out, the Dalit outburst in Maharashtra was not a knee-jerk response to one incident; it was clearly a reaction to long years of oppression. It is indeed time governments shook off their apathy while dealing with injustice.

D.V.G. Sankara Rao,
Vizianagaram

The protests show that the marginalised sections are yet to get equality and justice, despite the state's efforts to uplift them. The government machinery to contain caste oppression is woefully inadequate because politicians and bureaucrats lack the determination, sincerity, and rectitude to stem the rot.

Concrete, time-bound programmes for the uplift of the Dalit community through education, employment, empowerment, and legitimate sharing in national prosperity are the need of the hour. Poverty alleviation for those belonging to other castes is also a must to promote harmony and solidarity among all sections of society.

M. Govindaswamy,
Chennai

The message is clear — the situation has reached a boiling point and the Government needs to take meaningful, progressive steps to assuage the feelings of Dalits.

V.K. Sathyavan Nair,
Kottayam

The Maharashtra protests were an expression of Dalits' anger with the governments that have repeatedly failed to curb violence and atrocities against them. They were not just an expression of outrage at the desecration of Dr. Ambedkar's statue.

B.R. Chikte,
Adilabad, A.P.

Dalits continue to be discriminated against. Reservation and economic packages cannot solve the problem of caste. Untouchability is practised in the form of social boycotts despite laws being in place. As long as the root cause is not addressed, there is bound to be unrest from time to time.

K. Giridhar,
Hyderabad

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