India caste protest disrupts Mumbai

[Pakpak]

Thousands of protesters from India's low-caste Dalit community have disrupted key transport services in the country's financial capital, Mumbai.

Several local trains have been delayed or cancelled, buses have been damaged and schools are shut.

Similar disruptions have also been reported from other parts of the western state of Maharashtra.

Dalit groups are protesting against violence involving right-wing Hindu groups in Pune city on Monday.

One man was killed in the clashes as Dalits marked the 200th anniversary of a battle they won, fighting alongside British colonial forces, against an upper caste ruler.


More than 100 protesters have been arrested since then. The state authorities have appealed for peace.

Devendra Fadnavis, the state's chief minister, has ordered a judicial inquiry into the clashes in Pune.

Many domestic airlines have waived cancellation charges on flights to and from Mumbai as well as other neighbouring cities.

The city also witnessed violence on Tuesday as protesters pelted stones at trains and clashed with security forces in several locations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-42550847

 

[big_gamer007]

Mumbai is financial capital of India the entire protest disrupted business for 2 days. probably lost millions who will pay that?

All these protestors should be sent to the prison for distupting public peace and indulging in violence/damaging public property...

But no vote bank politics and selfishness of people in this country will continue and these sort of incidents will keep on happening..

 

[CricketCartoons]

Mumbai is financial capital of India the entire protest disrupted business for 2 days. probably lost millions who will pay that?

All these protestors should be sent to the prison for distupting public peace and indulging in violence/damaging public property...

But no vote bank politics and selfishness of people in this country will continue and these sort of incidents will keep on happening..

Good to see the oppressed asserting their rights and reclaiming the country back from those who think they own the nation.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

How shameful for Indians that 200 years ago Dalits had to fight with the ranks of the British to get rights in their own land. Those who argue against colonialism should ponder on that.

 

[cr7great]

dalits should convert into christians for their betterment and rule the country

 

[troodon]

dalits should convert into christians for their betterment and rule the country

Christianity does not guarantee equal rights. They will get discriminated there too. Dalits can convert to Buddhism. But then, Buddha is an upper caste prince and a Kshatriya.

I say Dalits should go back to their original beliefs. They had their own Gods and Goddesses before their beliefs got Aryanized.

 

[troodon]

I wonder why the Islamic rule over India for almost 800 years never empowered Dalits and Tribals.

 

[DW44]

dalits should convert into christians for their betterment and rule the country

They've been converting to Abrahamic religions for centuries to escape caste based discrimination. How well has that worked out so far?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I wonder why the Islamic rule over India for almost 800 years never empowered Dalits and Tribals.

It's a good question. But if they remained Hindus, then they would remain locked into the caste system by the majority Hindu social structure I would have thought.

 

[troodon]

It's a good question. But if they remained Hindus, then they would remain locked into the caste system by the majority Hindu social structure I would have thought.

Caste based discrimination in the past would have been several times worse when Mughals and Turks were ruling India. There must have been a huge incentive for Dalits to convert to Islam or at least leave Hinduism.

But this conversion of Dalits is only a recent phenomenon. Only after the British arrived, Dalits started converting to Christianity.

I blame Mughal and Turk rulers for not empowering Dalits. 800 years of rule and nothing to show for Dalits. Not one Dalit King. Not even a Zamindar or a rich farmer. How in the world did Muslim rulers ignore 30% of the population living in absolute poverty and being treated like animals. Shameful.

 

[GBK_Fan]

These celebrations have been going on for years in Pune now, without incident. This year congress pumps in the moolah and brings in people like Mewani and Khalid. The right wing Hindutva morons accept the challenge and we have riots. Shameful this is happening to my city

 

[troodon]

These celebrations have been going on for years in Pune now, without incident. This year congress pumps in the moolah and brings in people like Mewani and Khalid. The right wing Hindutva morons accept the challenge and we have riots. Shameful this is happening to my city

BJP tries to polarize based on Religion.

Congress is trying to polarize based on Upper Caste vs Dalit.

Divide and rule formula has been working well for politicians and kings for centuries now.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Caste based discrimination in the past would have been several times worse when Mughals and Turks were ruling India. There must have been a huge incentive for Dalits to convert to Islam or at least leave Hinduism.

But this conversion of Dalits is only a recent phenomenon. Only after the British arrived, Dalits started converting to Christianity.

I blame Mughal and Turk rulers for not empowering Dalits. 800 years of rule and nothing to show for Dalits. Not one Dalit King. Not even a Zamindar or a rich farmer. How in the world did Muslim rulers ignore 30% of the population living in absolute poverty and being treated like animals. Shameful.

Didn't Mughal Sultans rule in alliance with Hindu rulers? It may well have been that to keep the peace they agreed to let the Hindu princes rule their own districts as they saw fit. I know that the Mughals tried to stop the Hindu practice of Sati ( widow burnng) and the British struggled with this as well before finally outlawing it. It would be worth examining in detail to see why Dalits failed to leave their miserable existence and become Muslims in Mughal empire.

 

[Varun]

I wonder if it is a feasible scenario to have the PM (any PM now or in the future) come on TV one night and say that from midnight that night, the government of India isn't going to give a toss about caste - any fields so filled on documents will be redundant, and all manner of reservations outside of those for women/senior citizens will be scrapped.

Can anybody see this happening? If not now, 10 years from now? If not then, 15 years later?

 

[troodon]

I wonder if it is a feasible scenario to have the PM (any PM now or in the future) come on TV one night and say that from midnight that night, the government of India isn't going to give a toss about caste - any fields so filled on documents will be redundant, and all manner of reservations outside of those for women/senior citizens will be scrapped.

Can anybody see this happening? If not now, 10 years from now? If not then, 15 years later?

Caste is now a tool for Politicians to exploit. Eliminating Caste is like giving up on their livelihood.

Honestly no politician will associate themselves with Dalits. They can sit and dine with them for a few selfies and photos and promise of money and land.

Dalits need their own country. May be they can form their own country with Muslims who feel oppressed. You simply cannot ignore 30-40% of the population (dalits + Tribals) and pretend that they don't exist and its all rosy in India.

Most Dalits live in absolute poverty. Doing jobs that no one would even touch. When almost 400 million of the population is like this, there is no hope for the Dalits as well as India. No amount of reservations will uplift them. They are simply too many of them. This is like throwing bucket full of water in Arabian desert and hoping that it turns into a tropical paradise

 

[English August]

I wonder if it is a feasible scenario to have the PM (any PM now or in the future) come on TV one night and say that from midnight that night, the government of India isn't going to give a toss about caste - any fields so filled on documents will be redundant, and all manner of reservations outside of those for women/senior citizens will be scrapped.

Can anybody see this happening? If not now, 10 years from now? If not then, 15 years later?

It's a good idea. A bit like demonetization, we can declare all caste-based identity null and void.

Unlikely to happen though. At the time of independence, when the constitution was being drafted, there was a one-time opportunity to throw caste-based identity out of the window and instead aim for affirmative action based on economic criteria.

Our founding fathers were not that visionary after all. (They also screwed up the economic policies completely, but that's another discussion.)

 

[big_gamer007]

I wonder if it is a feasible scenario to have the PM (any PM now or in the future) come on TV one night and say that from midnight that night, the government of India isn't going to give a toss about caste - any fields so filled on documents will be redundant, and all manner of reservations outside of those for women/senior citizens will be scrapped.

Can anybody see this happening? If not now, 10 years from now? If not then, 15 years later?

Never gonna happen atleast not in our lifetime.. As much as we can wish for it to happen there is 0% chance, you follow politics so you should already know the reasons why it can’t happen..

 

[cr7great]

unicivil code is need of hour

 

[srh]

I wonder why the Islamic rule over India for almost 800 years never empowered Dalits and Tribals.

because it was not an Islamic rule duh. It was a rule by people who were muslims but almost all of it was not Islamic. If you read history of how these rulers act and you compare with how Islam requires rulers to act you will reach the same conclusion that it was not Islamic rule. Heck one of islamic ruler even created his own religion )

 

[cr7great]

elections are coming
so these riots will increase from congress in every state
next state will be karnatka

 

[PakLFC]

India is a country that has always wished chaos for all it's neighbours. I am always happy to see trouble in India There is always some minority problem going on there, nothing new.

 

[Varun]

elections are coming
so these riots will increase from congress in every state
next state will be karnatka

I wonder why they bother when they're going to get pulverized in any case.