In the Times of India Chennai Edition of today, 30th August, a news item has been published on page 8 that the CPM state secretary of Tamilnadu, P. Shanmugam, has demanded that 5 districts in the state–Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapum, Tirunelveli, and Tuticorn, be declared caste atrocity prone, citing growing instances of violence against inter-caste couples. He also accused both the big parties in Tamilnadu, DMK and ADMK of distributing party tickets based on which caste is dominant in the constituency.
To my mind most of India should be declared caste atrocity prone, not just 5 districts in Tamilnadu.
The law relating to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages has been laid down by the Indian Supreme Court in Lata Singh vs State of UP, 2006, followed in Shakti Vahini vs Union of India, 2018. In these decisions it was laid down that if the parents of a major girl ( i.e. a girl above 18 years of age ) do not approve of her marrying outside their caste or religion, the maximum they can do is to break off social relationship with their daughter. But they cannot legally commit violence on her ( by beating, torturing, or murdering her ), or locking her up in a room, etc, as that will be taking the law into their own hands, for which they are liable to be severely punished.
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Despite this clear enunciation of the law ‘honour killings’ often organised by feudalistic khap panchayats or katta panchayats occur in many parts of India, with the police often turning a Nelson’s eye.
Mr Shanmugam is also right in saying that political parties often distribute their party tickets on caste considerations after determining the caste composition of the constituency.
Democracy seems to be a good thing, but in India it has largely degenerated into caste and communal vote banks. Casteism and communalism are feudal forces which have to be destroyed if India is to progress, but democracy ( as practised in India ) further entrenches them ( as it runs on their basis ). The truth is that casteism and communalism have in fact increased in India in recent years.
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India has 28 states and 8 union territories, and elections are taking place, or their preparations are going on, somewhere or the other all year round.
So the country is perpetually in an election mode. And for getting votes our politicians have to polarize society by inciting caste or communal hatred. How, then, can India progress ?
