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World conference against racism (WCAR) has been organised on ‘Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance’ from 1st Sept to 7th Sept, 2001 at Durban, South Africa, for the consideration of the European union and its member states concerning the practice of untouchability and caste discrimination in the countries of South Asia affecting almost 240 million people. In this country and over seas people are arguing that India’s caste system should also be brought in to the ambit of the discussion. The proponents of this view have highlighted the crippling discriminations inherent in the caste order. They are right in denouncing the violation of human rights as an essential feature of the caste system, especially in the way it has been practiced over centuries. Indeed, some characteristics of untouchability such as defilement by touch or even by the casting of a shadow, as in earlier times, are worse than racial indignities.
The Indian government has set up a 15-member National Comtt. to evolve a consensus on the official position at the UN. Regretting the ‘‘deliberate attempt by some to dilute the focus of the conference by broadening its scope to bring all forms of discriminations within the ambit of the conference,’’ Ext. Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told the Comtt. in its first meeting on Feb. 7 at Delhi’s Hyderabad House, ‘‘We are opposed to discrimination in any form. But racism should not be confused with discrimination in general. Nor is it within the purview of the world conference.’’ Those who have been fielded to make the government’s case at UN fora in the elaborate run-up to the conference have argued that caste is an ‘‘internal’’ matter, and that India has enough constitutional, legislative and judicial instruments to ‘‘settle’’ it. Indian ambassador to the US Abid Husain, is a member of the Indian commission for Durban. Members of the National Committee on Racism have also expressed the need to keep “extraneous issues” like caste out of the Conference.
Two Ahmedabad-based untouchable leaders, Pravin Rashtrapal, a Congress MP and National Commission of Dalit Human Right co-convenor Martin Macwan, who runs NGO Navsarjan Trust attended preparatory committee meeting (prepcomm) at Geneva for the conference (May 21 to June 1). The campaign leadership and the Indian officialdom seem all set to confront each other over the issue. The Centre’s position was spelt out by Indian ambassador to the UN at Geneva (permanent mission) Savitri Kunadi, who told the prepcomm meeting that caste cannot be equated with apartheid. But she agreed to include “discrimination on the basis of work and descent” in the UN covenant on human rights. Back from Geneva, Rashtrapal has sought Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s intervention with Prime Minister AB Vajpayee. “The Opposition has not been consulted while taking up the matter at an international forum and also why none of the bahujan MPs from any party has been included in the commission that is to represent India at the Geneva conference”, he told TOI. In a letter to foreign minister Jaswant Singh, who chairs the Indian commission for Durban, he said, he was “shocked to find that the official Indian delegation prevailed upon the UN secretariat to ensure the removal of the phrase ‘discrimination based on caste’.”
The government will oppose inclusion of caste on the U.N. conference agenda on the grounds that caste and race are not synonymous. “This is a conference about racism. We believe that by bringing caste we would end up diluting the real thrust of the conference,” said Soli Sorabjee, India’s attorney general and a member of the U.N. Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination. “Of course, despite laws and constitutional provisions, caste discrimination still exists in India. But social habits die hard.”
The 5,000-year-old caste system is sanctioned by Hindu theology, in which every person is assigned a rigid role at birth. Since achieving independence in 1947, India has sought to overcome the inequities of caste, outlawing untouchability and discrimination. A progressive constitution mandates affirmative action programs for untouchables in education, and quotas in government jobs and political representation.
The discriminatory nature of caste as well as race is duly recognised by the Constitution. Article 15 (which outlaws discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and Article 17 (which in effect accepts the existence of caste-based discrimination and its effect of untouchability as racial discrimination) are instances in point. Likewise, Article 29 offers protection against caste-based discrimination in admission to educational institutions. The recognition of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as victims of caste discrimination over the centuries underlies the need to provide for reservation in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies of the States (Articles 331 and 332). Statutory provisions for reversing the ill-effects of discrimination do not make sense unless caste-based discriminations are both prevalent and rampant.
India got Independence 54 years ago, till today untouchables has to suffer for basic needs for their day to day living i.e. drinking water, food, shelter and right to live as human being in the Indian society. The untouchables were denied even human Rights, which are essential for a bare existence of human life. They were not allowed to drink water from public well; and even their shadow was supposed to pollute the so-called upper castes. The Hindu social order made the life of the untouchables miserable in every sense of the term. The Hindu Dharmashastra gave sanction to this evil Caste system and practice of unthouchability. This continued for the Centuries. Then arose on the horizon Dr. Ambedkar, the liberator of the Millions of downtrodden in India. He made abolition of the Caste system and Untouchability a Mission of His Life.
India’s caste system assigns individuals a certain status according to Hindu beliefs. Traditionally, there are four principal castes and one category of people who fall outside the caste system- the untouchables. As members of the lowest rank of Indian society, untouchables face discrimination at almost every level: from access to education and medical facilities to restrictions on where they can live and what Jobs they can have. The discrimination against the untouchables is especially significant because of the number of people affected. There are approximately 160 Million untouchables in India, constituting fifteen percent of the total Indian population. All oppressed groups in the world must come together and make it happen in Durban that we are one. It will be the good opportunity to achieve our Human Rights and most important is the need to respect the right to be a human being.
Decades after B.R. Ambedkar issued the clarion call for its annihilation, caste continues to dominate the social, cultural, religious and political horizon of India.
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