The contrast is stark between a Dalit or tribal battling for rights and the demands of upper castes such as Patels, Jats and Marathas. For Dalits, democracy is a value; for upper castes it appears relevant as long as it sustains them instrumentally in power. The upper castes feel the Atrocities Act is often misused and want it repealed. There is a strange reversal of victimology with upper castes almost amnesiac about their own atrocities and vigilantism. It is almost as if law and order and justice are the preserve of dominant castes.

Source: The Hindu September 27, 2016 19:07 UTC