Abstract
Abstract
 
 Caste, a social institution in India, has significant implications on social legislations, affirmative action and group-specific development policies. In the modern society, the traditional caste structure however continues to nurture the unequal social interaction process among caste groups. This often translates into various forms of human rights violations against the groups at the bottom of caste hierarchy. The key concern is that resistance to such violations often leads to ‘caste violence’ of different forms. Although a body of literature that explains this caste phenomenon in the discourse of human rights and social justice, its larger consequences remains a neglected dimension. This paper, drawing evidence from a series of empirical research on ‘mapping caste-based violence’ in contemporary Indian society, sheds light on diverse consequences of real or perceived violence, emanating from ‘caste’. The analysis reveals that consequences of caste violence are manifested in social, economic, psychological and moral terms. The ‘victims of violence’ speak the language of suffering and deprivation in different spheres of life, having a bearing on the basic human needs of ‘belongingness’ democratic honour and ‘sense of security’. The apathetic attitude and slow response of state machinery towards caste violence often accentuate the social conditions to make the ‘victims of violence’ and their communities fall into the vicious cycle of caste oppressions and increased vulnerability to poor human development.
Highlights
In the Indian context, the social institution of ‘caste’, is based on some culturally accepted and valued notions
The national crime statistics provided by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) for various years has been used to reflect on the overall patterns of violence against Scheduled Castes (SCs) (termed as atrocities, which include major crimes as defined in the Indian Penal Code, and specific offences under the provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act of 1989 against SCs and Scheduled Tribes (STs) by people not belonging to these two communities)
As the unequally organized caste structure continues to dominate the social interaction process among caste groups, it gives rise to human rights violations against groups that are at the bottom of caste hierarchy
Summary
In the Indian context, the social institution of ‘caste’, is based on some culturally accepted and valued notions. Like other social institutions, the traditional structures of caste have undergone a change for the better in the form of protective legislations, affirmative action, and group-specific development oriented policy initiatives. Specific institutional frameworks have been put in place to protect the rights of subordinated caste groups who are at the risk of being exploited by the ‘codes of caste’ itself. Despite the legal and institutional mechanisms, the caste structure continues to remain powerful in perpetuating the discriminatory social interaction process in modern society. This often widens cleavages among a cross section of groups in India translating into various forms of human rights violations in social and economic life. There has been a greater engagement with ‘caste’ than other social identities in India in the process of creating a socially cohesive society
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
