WORLD FOCUS

India's lowest caste fights for its rights

Younger generation of Dalits starting to speak out against discrimination they face

Left: Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supp
Dalits carrying a portrait of 20th century social reformer B. R. Ambedkar at a protest against a Supreme Court order that is said to have diluted a law that protected their rights, in Allahabad, last month. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Left: Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supp
Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supplement what is taught in schools, but also teach Dalit history. PHOTOS: PRABHAS ROY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Left: Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supp
Dalit farmers working on their fields in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. In spite of a stringent law like the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that till very recently mandated automatic arrest in crimes against Dalits, discrimination continues in different forms. PHOTO: PRABHAS ROY
Left: Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supp
Mr Sanjay Kumar Jatav wants to take his wedding procession on this road through the upper-caste-dominated village of Nizampur, in Uttar Pradesh, to the house of his bride, Sheetal Kumari. ST PHOTOS: NIRMALA GANAPATHY
Left: Dalit children at a Bhim school, set up by Dalit rights organisation Bhim Army, in the village of Ratanpur Kalyanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhim Army has set up over 300 Bhim schools for Dalit students in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh. They supp
Mr Sanjay Kumar Jatav wants to take his wedding procession on this road through the upper-caste-dominated village of Nizampur, in Uttar Pradesh, to the house of his bride, Sheetal Kumari (above). ST PHOTOS: NIRMALA GANAPATHY
India’s President Ram Nath Kovind inspecting a guard of honour during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi on July 25 last year. He was sworn in as India’s president that day, becoming just the second leader from the oppressed Dalit community to be elected head of state. PHOTOS: PRABHAS ROY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Dalit farmers working on their fields in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. In spite of a stringent law like the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that till very recently mandated automatic arrest in crimes against Dalits,
Mr Bhanubhai Vankar setting himself on fire in Patan, near Ahmedabad, on Feb 15, in protest. Mr Vankar, a Dalit, alleged there was a delay in the handing over of land allotted to him under a government scheme. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Nirmala Ganapathy India Bureau Chief In Kasganj/Saharanpur
Updated
Apr 01, 2021, 10:50 AM
Published
May 29, 2018, 05:00 AM
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

His wedding is two months away, but Mr Sanjay Kumar Jatav knows it will not be a smooth ride - literally.

The 28-year-old budding lawyer from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has spent the past five months in local government offices and courts to win the right to sit on a horse and lead a wedding procession to his bride Sheetal Kumari's house in the upper-caste-dominated village of Nizampur.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

ST One Digital

 $9.90/month

No contract

ST app access on 1 mobile device

Subscribe now

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2018, with the headline India's lowest caste fights for its rights. Subscribe

Available for
iPhones and iPads
Available in
Google Play

MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

Back to the top