Tears of Ayodhya
text_fieldsAyodhya supposedly means "a place without war." Ironically, many of the conflicts and riots that occurred in the corners of post-independence India were carried out in the name of Ayodhya. Even when places like Gujarat and Bombay were soaked in the blood of riots under this very name, Ayodhya did not lose its peace—though the Sarayu River flowed calmly. It was in December 1992, when Sangh Parivar criminals, following the calls of senior VHP-BJP-RSS leaders, demolished the Babri Masjid and carried out riots and arson, that the land first reeked of blood. Though the BJP government at the Centre hastily opened the unfinished temple based on the Supreme Court verdict, the local populace voted against the Hindutva forces. And now, from Ayodhya, we hear the echoes of anguish once again—the land reeks of blood, this time of a Dalit woman who was gang-raped and murdered.
Last Thursday night, a young woman who had gone to attend a religious ceremony did not return. Although her family approached the police, there was no serious response. Later, news emerged that her torn, bloodstained clothes were found in a paddy field. Following this, her mutilated body—eyes gouged out, bones broken, and disfigured—was recovered from a canal near the village.
Why why is there no salvation for Dalit lives under the rule of Yogi Adityanath, whom the Sangh parivar camp deems with pride as the country’s most powerful chief minister, who enforces the bulldozer punishment - banned by the Supreme Court - without waiting for court verdicts against the perpetrators, anti-nationals, and extremists? Why are upper-caste criminals who sexually assault Dalit girls allowed to roam free and target their next victims? The horrific Hathras incident will never be forgotten by any conscientious Indian. As part of destroying crucial evidence in the case, under instructions from above, the police cremated the Dalit girl’s body without the family’s presence or consent. When upper-caste criminals, who sexually assaulted and killed, are praised, a Keralite journalist who went to report the incident had to spend two years of his life in prison. Even after four and a half years, the victim’s family has not received the promised safe housing, home or job from the government, and they live under CRPF protection, still living in fear, resembling the conditions of a refugee. Three of the accused are in neighboring houses. In a country where, if anyone is seen traveling with a cow, or if someone is suspected of being involved in cattle smuggling, the Sangh Parivar's cow protection criminals band together and murder people, this is where Dalit lives stand today—at the crossroads of disaster.
Since a by-election is scheduled tomorrow in the Milkipur Legislative Assembly constituency, political leaders have come forward with reactions to the rape-murder case in Ayodhya. Avadesh Prasad, a member of the Samajwadi Party who was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Faizabad constituency, which includes Ayodhya, said during a press conference, with tears in his eyes, that he would resign from his MP position if the victim’s family does not receive justice. Bhim Army leader and Lok Sabha member Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi have all condemned the incident in strong terms. However, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who accused Avadesh Prasad's weeping of being a drama, made a statement suggesting that there may be links between the criminals behind the incident and the Samajwadi Party.
Not only in Uttar Pradesh but also in other BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, Dalits regularly become victims of brutal attacks and humiliation. If they ask for payment for work done, if a new groom wears a coat, rides a horse, wears slippers, and enters the house of the landlord, and when they file a complaint against the upper-caste perpetrators, the police approach them. These are all reasons for the murders and brutal killings of Dalits. These caste-based atrocities continue to unfold not in accordance with Manusmriti, but in accordance with the Constitution, which promises the fundamental right to live with equality and dignity. But , as believed by the Union minister from Kerala, who has openly expressed the wish to be born as a Brahmin with the sacred thread in his rebirth, appointing 'high-caste' ministers to handle portfolios will not easily resolve the issues faced by Dalits and Adivasis in the country. Only when the upper-caste hierarchy and the concept of high and low castes completely collapse will it be possible for Dalits and Adivasis in India to lead a life of freedom. Their broken bodies and torn clothes should not continue to flow in fields and canals.