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As political parties court votes, India debates if caste census will secure jobs or divide country
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Mr Karnaram Raika, an eighth-generation camel herder, is worried about the future of his children as public grazing land is increasingly scarce and camel sales beyond the state were banned in 2015.
ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
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BENGALURU/NEW DELHI - Mr Babban Sahani was just 15 when he had to drop out of school to support his family. A member of the Mallah fishing community – classified as an “extremely backward caste” – in eastern Indian state Bihar, he was sent to neighbouring Nepal to learn to paint houses.
“We didn’t even have enough to eat back then,” the 40-year-old said.
