Caste related violence has been a regular occurrence lately in Gujarat.
Studies also point to rampant discrimination against Dalits in rural areas of the state.
What are the recent incidences?
20-year-old dalit youth was murdered for watching the garba function of an upper caste gathering.
Two dalits from Gandhinagar had been attacked by upper-caste Hindus for sporting a moustache.
In 2016, several youngsters were thrashed and paraded in Una village on the suspicion of cow slaughter. (Click here to know about Una Model of Dalits Protest)
How has the political contours changed with time?
Post the Mandal commission report, anti-reservation riots dominated Gujarat’s polity in the 1980s.
In the 1990’s – after Babri Masjid episode, it was the politics of Hindu consolidation, which culminated in the 2002 riots.
Over the next decade, the pursuit of justice for the riot victims, kept the question of Muslims alienation & discrimination alive.
As years passed, the memory of the riots has effectively faded without proper justice and reconciliation.
Currently, the fault-lines within the Hindus are coming to the fore.
The Patidar agitation for OBC reservation in 2015 and last year’s Dalit protests following the Una outrage were notable ones.
Importantly, the Una episode triggered a massive mobilisation in the state that culminated in the “Dalit Asmita Yatra”.
This even pressured the government into setting up special courts for speedy trial in cases registered under the “SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act -1989”.
How could the future be best approached?
The much-touted Gujarat Model was about projecting high economic growth in building physical infrastructure.
The Patidar agitation demanding reservations in education and employment - indicates that the Gujarat Model could not lift all.
The anti-dalit violence must be addressed before it further imperils social peace in an already restless state.
While, free market economics provides for big GDP numbers, it doesn’t mean the betterment of the masses.
Hence, economies need to embrace principles of ‘Social Juctice’ to ensure that fruits of development is shared by all.
