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The temples were still barred to most of the untouchables and they were
also not allowed to enter the houses of caste Hindus. Marriage procession
through the public village road by untouchables is prohibited on one
pretext or another. There is no access to public drinking water source.
The well or tap is located in the high-caste locality and attempts by the
former untouchables invites objection and physical obstruction.
The majority of the untouchable respondents reported being beaten by the
upper castes, ranging from frequently to rarely. Raids on untouchable
hamlets or houses, sometimes followed by looting, were reported. Violence
was also perpetrated in the form of kidnapping, insults, rape, physical
torture and threat or attempt to murder.
Many untouchable respondents were prevented from voting in elections. In
some cases they were also prevented from participating in political
activities like organizing meetings in the village or taking an
independent position on political issues, or contesting elections.
Sukhadev Thorat
Sukhadev Thorat is Professor,
Center for the Study of Regional Development, School of
Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
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Andhra Pradesh case study
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This was conducted in 1977 and covered a sample of 396 respondents (of
which 196 were formerly untouchable) from six villages (Venkateswarlu
1990).
October - November 2002
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