Page 164 - Islam and Far Eastern Religions

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In These Times, 3 January 2003
In These Times carried
a report headed
“Broken people broken
promises” referring to
attacks on daliths by
Hindu nationalists.

The Guardian, 13 April 1999

The Guardian, 31 March 1999

Expressindia, 31 March 2003

Hindu nationalists’ aim to reinvigorate superstitious Hindu traditions that have
persisted for hundreds of years. The caste system occupies pride of place
among these traditions. That is why they resort to all possible means to hinder
movements opposed to the caste system, which have grown enormously in
India in recent years. The above reports are evidence that the oppression
caused by the caste system is still going on. A video film aired on the American
channel CBS that documented the cruelty meted out to daliths was described by
Expressindia as “India gets its 15 minutes of shame on American television.”
Two separate reports in the British daily The Guardian, one dated 31 March,
1999, and headed “Caste war turn Indian state into killing field,” and the other
dated 13 April, 1996, with the title “Brutality used to keep India’s underclass
down” discussed the conflict between the different castes.