Nagaur narrative

Only a few days back, a Dalit man was lynched at Villupuram in Tamil Nadu for defecating on land owned by a member of a dominant caste, and now comes the news about the torture of two Dalit men in Nagaur district of Rajasthan over the charge of stealing cash from a service centre where they had gone to get their two-wheeler repaired. These incidents only point to the fact that shutting out caste-based prejudices remains a tall order in practice and that animosity and discrimination remain etched in the realities of the socio-political milieu. Like in the case of the video involving the poor quality mid-day meal served to school students in Uttar Pradesh, the video of the Nagaur incident went viral, sparking outrage and widespread condemnation. Seven people have been arrested so far in the case. While the veracity of the theft claim will be determined after investigations, the intolerance on display despite the options for legal redress needs to be condemned. Such incidents have taken place from time to time in Rajasthan at places like Sikar, Barmer and Hindaun, where violence was triggered by caste prejudice, oppressive practices of the dominant community or patriarchal brutality.

Incidents of caste-based violence serve to remind that while much has been achieved in terms of empowerment and advancement of the socially deprived sections, safeguarding their rights is a task fragile in nature and that the inadequacy of governance in reaching out to such people remains. The Villupuram incident will remain a blot on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the drive to make places open-defecation-free.

The Nagaur tragedy points to the need for tying up the loose ends in the administration, coming as it does on the heels of the Kota infant deaths at a hospital in the government sector and almost three years after the lynching of cattle trader Pehlu Khan. In the case of Pehlu Khan, the accused were acquitted by the court and there has been no plausible action in the Kota case. Rajasthan should ensure justice in the Nagaur incident.