Every time I hear about atrocities on Dalits, I feel ashamed. In
spite of hundreds of years of social reforms, the Hindu society
continues to be plagued by this scourge. I am also disgusted by the
sheer hypocrisy on the part of the US when it pontificates India on the
issue of ‘tolerance’ and treatment of its weaker sections (read Dalits),
following any such unfortunate incident. Once again, the US seized an
opportunity to lecture India.
Following the inexcusable flogging
of four Dalit youths at Una in Gujarat recently, America promptly
expressed concern over ‘rising intolerance, violence’ in India. High
decibel reactions, bordering on outrage, about caste-related violence in
India on the part of the US are surely not borne out of its genuine
concern for Dalits. The US commitment to ideals such as human rights,
rule of law and democracy is confined only to whites within the American
borders.
The US has frequently joined hands with ruthless
despots. It has been in cahoots with the military dictators of Pakistan
and the Communist regime of China. The record of both these countries on
the issue of human rights and dealing with their intellectuals or
religious minorities is gloomy. The US treatment of prisoners at the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp puts its record on human rights at par
with Stalin’s Soviet Union. In a 2005 Amnesty International report, the
facility was termed ‘Gulag of our times.’ In 2006, the United Nations
called unsuccessfully for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to be
closed. In spite of world-wide protests, the camp continues to function
with all its horrors.
And what’s America’s report card in dealing
with its own people? According to a Guardian study, 1,134 blacks were
killed at the hands of police in the US in 2015. The study reveals that
young black men were ‘nine times more likely than other Americans to be
killed’ by police officers. Paired with official government mortality
data, about one in every 65 deaths of a young African-American man in
the US is a killing by police.
There are historical reasons for
the American establishment (dominated by whites) bias against blacks.
Most Africans were forcibly brought to and held captive in the United
States from 1555 to 1865. The Declaration of Independence, a document
that would become a manifesto for human rights and personal freedom in
the US, was written by Thomas Jefferson, who, ironically himself owned
over 200 slaves!
The slave owners and traders frequently quoted
the Bible to justify their inhuman acts against blacks. The holy book
has no specific condemnation of slavery. The Old Testament presents
guidelines for slave holders. The New Testament describes the
relationship between master and slaves. For example, here is an advice
rendered to slaves in the Bible — “Servants, be obedient to them that
are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.” (Ephesians 6:5). There are
several other verses in the Bible which endorse slavery and define
relationship between the slaves and their masters. Exodus 21:2-6,
21:20-21, Colossians 4:1, 3:22, Leviticus 25:44-46 and Peter 2:18-21. Of
course, there are also verses in the Bible which have been used to
justify the abolition of slavery.
While deliberating atrocities on
Dalits in India, invariably incidents from Hindu tradition, such as
killing of Shambook by Lord Rama or ace archer Eklavya of Mahabharata
losing his thumb at the instance of Guru Dronacharya are mentioned. Manu
Smriti is often quoted and blamed for providing philosophical basis for
discrimination against Dalits. Copies of this scripture have been burnt
publicly. In the course of any serious study of black problem in the
US, the intellectual paradigm which sustains anti-American-African
mindset, has to be discussed.
The over-reaction on the part of
America to the incidents involving Dalits in India has to be seen in the
historical context. After the East India Company set its shop in India,
British officials came to accept missionaries as partners in the ‘noble
task of shouldering the white man’s burden.’ A section of the US
establishment still suffers from this colonial mind-set. Moreover,
Church has a considerable amount of influence on American administration
and it continues with its insidious agenda of evangelisation. Even
minor incidents of violence against Dalits are blown out of proportion
with active help from those in India who are committed to evangelisation
and breaking up of Hindu society. In America, atrocities against Blacks
are mostly committed by law enforcement agencies and ruling
establishment. Such is the power of white racists in the system that
even those police officers who kill unarmed innocent blacks seldom get
punished. In India, Dalits are mostly targeted by individuals and once
the incident becomes public, the system (including political class)
comes down heavily on the guilty.
Powerful voices from within the
Hindu society have been fighting against this social evil for centuries.
The struggle has not been in vain. The Constituent Assembly provided
for reservations for Dalits. Subsequently, Parliament enacted stringent
laws to end atrocities against Dalits. Today, none defends
discrimination against Dalits on an intellectual level. However, in
practice, the evil does exist. Laws, however harsh, have limited
capacity to eradicate any vice. If that was not so, crimes such as
dacoity, rape, murder or prostitution would have disappeared long back.
Increased social awareness is the answer.
Balbir Punj is a former BJP MP and a Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues
Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com
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