Citizens' group to Karnataka govt: Stop caste violence, hate crimes

In the first such civil society initiative in recent times, a citizens group in Karnataka on Monday (July 3) appealed to the new Congress government to stop caste and communal violence in the land of Basavanna.

The Bahutva Karnataka, a group comprising academics, scientists, opinion makers, social workers and students among others, has in a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drawn his attention to three incidents that took place after he took the reins.

In a horrific case of honour killing in Chintamani, Kolar district, an upper caste man murdered in cold blood his daughter for falling in love with a Dalit youth in the last week of June. Unable to bear his beloved’s killing, the grief-stricken Dalit youth committed suicide.

In yet another shocking incident, a Dalit youth, Vivek Raj, an employee of the retail chain Lifestyle in Bengaluru, committed suicide on June 4 alleging caste abuse by four managers of the apparel company.

He complained to the higher ups of the company but no action was taken against the managers. Before killing himself, the 34-year-old Raj filed a complaint with the police. “That this was done by ‘well-educated’ people in a large company in Bengaluru, and shows how caste violence is not limited to rural areas or to only certain sections of society,” the Bahutva Karnataka said.

Arun Kumar, a Dalit boy, was beaten up in Chikmagaluru by members of dominant castes in full public view for celebrating the Congress victory in the May 10 Karnataka election.

The Bahutva Karnataka, a coalition of progressive civil society organisations working to free Karnataka of communal hatred and casteism, sent a team to probe the incident. The team found to its shock that the police not only fumbled in its investigation, not even recording the victim’s statement, but failed to invoke the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act while registering a case. Instead, in a typical abuse of law, the police filed a counter-case against the victim’s family.

Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of oppression at the hands of dominant castes, the civil society members said these follow the same pattern as other cases of caste violence faced by Dalits. “This kind of violence reminds us of what Babasaheb Ambedkar said, ‘The castes are anti-national in the first place because they bring about separation in social life. They are anti-national also because they generate jealousy and antipathy between caste and caste. But we must overcome all these difficulties if we wish to become a nation in reality. For fraternity can be a fact only when there is a nation. Without fraternity equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paint’,” the letter read.

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Detailing these events in its communiqué, the Bahutva Karnataka has exhorted the Siddaramaiah government to act decisively against caste violence.

“The people of Karnataka decisively voted in favour of your party in a desire to see a united, harmonious Karnataka. It is in this regard that we are writing to you to request that your government take decisive action to address caste-related violence in Karnataka,” it said.

A member of the Bahutva Karnataka recalled how the civil society members worked overtime to defeat communal forces and helped the Congress win the Assembly elections.

Speaking to The Federal, the member said: “Our work was to make Karnataka, the land of Basavanna, a progressive thinker, a peaceful state. Hindutva activists were busy spreading communal hatred. Our work helped the Congress come to power.”

But they will not keep quiet if the Congress government commits mistakes, he said. “Our single-point agenda is to save our state from communal hatred and casteism,” the member added.

The civil society has also drawn the government’s attention towards the Congress manifesto in which the party had stated that it was committed to ensuring that Karnataka remains a land where all communities, castes and creed live peacefully and to adopt the values of Basavanna, Narayana Guru, Kanakadasa and other revered social reformers.

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In its letter, the Bahutva Karnataka urged Siddaramaiah to dedicate a day of the ongoing budget session of the legislature to address the caste-related violence and measures to end all caste atrocities, announce steps to annihilate caste, initiate a study into caste discrimination in workplaces and explore ways to end it. Dominant caste also need to publicly denounce untouchability and declare their intent to work for the annihilation of caste.

The Siddaramaiah was also asked to announce suitable compensation to the families affected by recent cases of caste violence and ensure a proper and impartial investigation, set up a Helpline for inter-caste couples, who face threats and need protection, and launch a mandatory awareness programme on how caste discrimination impacts people and how caste manifests in various ways.

The letter, which seeks the Congress government’s intervention to effectively end caste and communal violence in the state, has not been formally released to the press.