Abstract This paper intends to contextualise the socio-economic and political rights of Dalits in India and evaluate the issue of human rights and its impact on framing the Indian Constitution and the rights of Dalits. This will attempt to evaluate the human rights from two stand points: philosophical and historical. Human rights are very important part of human life, since these can help human beings to lead decent and dignified lives. This chapter will also seek to explore instances of violations of human rights of Dalits. It will also further critically analyse the viewpoints of Ambedkar and Gandhi on the human rights discourse.
See Full PDF See Full PDFEach and every society upholds a social consciousness reciprocal with the prevailing dominant social culture. The social developments of mankind transformed the classes and castes to institutionalized religion. These institutionalized machinery of faith redefines the human relations and rights in accordance with the dominant group's interest. The governing class joins hand together with these institutionalized religions and make use of it as a means to secure their authority. The socio-religious philosophy of the ruling class wipes out the various social relations and human rights and reign over other parallel thoughts. By using religious textual interpretation they bracket out 'other' and women from the mainstream. The Brahminic version of the Hindu philosophy denied the basic rights to the masses and slaughtered the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity from the social sphere and make use of the common peoples as slaves to secure the power and leisure. The caste discriminations of Hindus degenerated the society as a whole. Ambedkar, Ayyankali, EVR and such others revealed the nature of discriminations and fought against it. Despite the Indian independence the Indian civil society remained in shackles of śāstra's and continued the violations of rights of the Dalits. The article focuses on the way in which the Hindu Sastras and texts supported the caste hegemony and the denial of human rights for hundreds of years.
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The value of life is central to human rights. All human beings are born free. The fundamental freedoms include the right to liberty, freedom from slavery, as well as freedom from caste oppression, torture, cruel inhuman or degrading treatment and freedom of thought and speech. Despite these morals, Human rights violation has become a worldwide phenomenon and is increasing day by day in developing countries like India. Not a single day passes without papers reporting on violation of human rights in India. The vulnerable sections like Dalits, adivasis, women, children, minorities and other groups are discriminated without any fault of their own. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight on the theoretical analysis of the violation of human rights of Dalits. But how the human rights of such Dalit people are being violated despite extensive constitutional and legal protections against such violations? This is the chief objective of this paper.
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Dalits are the most neglected, marginalized, exploited and the most disadvantaged socio-economic group in India. The continuing atrocities on the Dalits, its nature and the response (or the lack of it) of the law and order machinery represents deep-rooted fault lines in our society and demands multi-faceted action as a nation. The scourge of untouchability was a blot on the Indian civilization. Despite the constitutional declaration of its abolition under Article 17 of the Constitution, progressive legislations, programmes and schemes for the development and empowerment of the dalits it persists in many subtle and not so subtle ways. It has been an unmitigated tale of prejudice, discrimination and exploitation. At stake, in the ultimate analysis, is the very integrity and survival of Indian society. Without transforming vertical inequality in society into horizontal equality, democracy will have no meaning. If the law is not in favour of disadvantaged, they will never achieve true equality of opportunity and freedom of choice. This Paper will analyze the various atrocities on Dalits & their Constitutional rights guaranteed in the Indian Constitution. Key words: (Dalits, Atrocities, Untouchability, Discrimination, Constitutional Rights)
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International Journal of Research
Under-educated, severely impoverished, and brutally exploited, Dalits struggle to provide for even their most basic daily needs. Dalits must also endure daily threats to their physical security from both state and private actors. The violence by upper-caste groups against Dalits have two major causes: the “untouchability” and discrimination upper-caste community members practice on a daily basis and the desire of upper-caste community members to protect their own entrenched status by preventing Dalit development and the fulfillment of Dalits’ rights. A review of the political, social, economic, and cultural status of Dalits in India shows the State Party to be in violation of its obligation to respect, protect, and ensure Convention rights to all individuals in its jurisdiction. India routinely denies Dalits the rights and privileges that many of its other citizens take for granted. An attempt has been made in this paper to high light the issues and problems of India as a country that has failed in its duty to eliminate caste discrimination and ensure the full enjoyment of the fundamental rights and equality before the law of Dalits guaranteed by Article 5. A review of the political, social, economic, and cultural status of Dalits in India shows the State Party to be in violation of its obligation to respect, protect, and ensure Convention rights to all individuals in its jurisdiction.
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