RAJASTHAN STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

1. RAJASTHAN STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION PROJECT ON THE CURSE OF UNTOUCHABILITY IN INDIA Anil Vishnoi BBA.LLB 2nd year National Law University, Cuttack Mob: 97884891921, 7873490949 Email id: anilvishnoi29@gmail.com

2. THE CURSE OF UNTOUCHABILITY IN INDIA

3. UNTOUCHABILITY What is it? -a social practice -ostracizing minority groups by segregating them from the mainstream -by social custom or legal mandate.

4. A member of this excluded group is known as an untouchable.

5. How does it evolve? • because of the existing caste system in India. • It is prevailing only in the Hindu Soiety. • Hindu culture is divided into 4 castes i.e Brahmin Kshatriya Vaisya Sudras

6. These castes reveal their occupation. People gets locked into their trade by birth. They become a part of the occupation that their forefathers used to do.

7. Sudras(caste of the laborers) are the people who always has to face the oppression.

8. DALIT a sanskrit term meaning suppressed or crushed is used for the class of people facing oppression and are termed as untouchable castes of the Hindu Society. They are forbidden to enter the public places like temples or even eating with a person of the upper class person.

9. Orthodox Hindus often turn up to RIG VEDA (humanity’s oldest book) to justify the social and economic satisfaction of Caste. But the evidence of scriptures shows that the culture which produced the Rig Veda was devoid of Caste.

10. In the name of Untouchability, Dalits face nearly 140 forms of work and descent-based discrimination at the hands of the dominant caste. Here are a few:

11. They are prohibited from- • eating with other caste members. • marrying with other caste members. • entering into village temples. • using common village path. • from wearing sandals or holding umbrellas in front of dominant caste members

12. REFORMS: The earliest known historical people to have rejected the caste system were Gautama Buddha and Mahavira.

13. It was further encouraged by the Bhakti movement. The BrahmoSamaj, AryaSamaj, and Ramakrishna Mission actively participated in the emancipation of Dalits.

15. The 1950 national constitution of India legally abolishes the practice of untouchability. - Article 17 of the Constitution Of India says that there should be abolition of Untouchability. - In the Article 15,it has been mentioned that prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race and caste. - Also in the article 16, it has been clearly mentioned that there should be equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.

16. Government of India also passed an act namely THE PREVENTION OF ATROCITIES ACT,(POA)in the year 1989. • In this Government clarified specific crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes(Dalits) as atrocities. • It created strategies and punishments to counter these acts. • The Act created special courts to try cases registered under the POA

17. But analyzing the present scenario of the Indian Society makes us realize that these policies have not yielded the expected results.

18. Even after so many years of the fight against untouchability and the Caste system in India, it is still prevailing in rural areas. It may have been reduced but not eliminated. It can be because of the ignorance of people and the Government.

19. Taking the example of POA act,1989. There were only 2 states to have created separate special courts in accordance with the Prevention of Atrocities Act. As a result the act has suffered from a near complete failure in implementation. According to a survey in1999, nearly a quarter of those government officials charged with enforcing the act are unaware of its existence.

20. Similar is the case with other Government policies, they have worked quite well in the urban areas, but almost ineffective with the rural people.

21. You may find some people saying that India has eliminated untouchability from the country by giving examples as in having a President from the backward class(K.R. Narayanan) and some other dalits occupying certain high posts in the Govt jobs. But these people only represent the educated section of backward groups, What about the uneducated people? They are still in the dark.

22. Education can be helpful in eliminating the untouchability from the Indian Society. Educating people is the best way to make India free from this evil of Caste that has been followed for centuries in the country.

24. If we look at the achievements that these policies acquired, it can be said that we are on a right track. But still there is a long way to go

27. BEWARE OF YOUR RIGHTS AND DISCHARGE DUTY WITH DEVOTION

28. BIBLIOGRAPHY

29. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It gives me great pleasure to express my deep sense of gratitude to all concerned for the encouragement. I have completed this project and I am very much thankful to Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission for giving me a chance to do internship under the Rajasthan Human Rights Commission Anil Vishnoi BBA.LLB(Hons.) 2nd Year National Law University, Cuttack Mob:9784891921,7873490949 Email id: anilvishnoi29@gmail.com