Let alone the legal aspects even the natural sense of justice is denied to this oppressed class. A glaring instance of this is the instance that took place in Maharashtra and shook the conscience of the entire nation. The whole family of Bhaiyalal Bhootmange, a Dalit was mercilessly murdered in Khairlanji village of Bhandara district. The agony of a man who stood behind a tamarind tree and watched his wife unclothed, daughter tortured and two young sons killed is beyond what words can describe. The tragedy was that the entire village kept mum for the fear of repercussion.

The provocation which evokes such merciless self-styled punishments by the upper castes in most cases has been on very trivial issues and this attitude is fuelled by the failure of our judicial system to deliver. A study conducted by the National Law School revealed that out of 646 cases studied, only 578 were disposed. Worse still, only 27 resulted in conviction. The rest, 551 in total resulted in acquittals.

Even as the acquittal of 46 accused in the case where seven Dalits were burnt alive in their house at Kambalapalli village in Kolar District of Karnataka drew flak from different sections of the society, the miscarriage of justice persists.

The recent incident where the train Deccan Queen in Maharashtra was torched by the Dalits drew country wide condemnation and was labeled as a form of protest against the desecration of Dr.Ambedkar’s statue in Nagpur. But, we should question ourselves whether this was merely a form of protest or a manifestation of some repressed anger? Let us not forget what happened in France last year. Several years of indifference to the sufferings and uncertainties faced by immigrants found its manifestation in the large scale rampage. It cost the country not only monetarily but was also a serious set back to its image.

A significant and noteworthy point is that in a country like India where caste politics play a crucial role in
determining the future of political parties, Dalits face such troubles. There are several politicians who claim to be their champions. They inflame caste sentiments during campaigns but the fact remains that none of them has proved to be their saviour. The benefits carved out in favour of Dalits remain confined to a few who have blurred the caste-line by gaining economic strengths. It seldom trickles down to the larger masses experiencing inhumantreatment in their day to day lives.

What other injustice would compare to the mental status of a man who sleeps everyday in perpetual fear of
being burnt in his own house, his daughter and wife being raped or the entire family massacred? Where can
he go, to the authorities, who will not stand by him, or seek recourse in the Almighty whose threshold isdenied to him by the mortals? This is a question worth pondering as we try to carve a powerful position for India in the international arena. India belongs as much to the Dalits as does to the so called upper castes. But the truth is that they are betrayed everyday in their own homeland.

New hopes and goals boom in front of us as we enter 2007. New events are waiting to take place. Even as, K.G. Balkrishnan is stated to become the first Dalit Chief Justice of India’s Supreme Court, the question remains. Will the Dalits ever get justice for the injustices done to them? Your guess is as good as mine.