The New Year broke on India with a “bloody” news. Coming events cast their shadows. That 1982 began with a repeat performance of “hunting Harijans as rabbits” at Sadhupur in Indira Gandhi’s own home State of UP even before the smell of Deoli evaporated confirm the fears expressed in our editorial (Dec. 1-15), “Dalit Life is the Cheapest in India”, Officially 21% of UP population is Untouchables.
We have no words to describe the heinous nature of the Sadhupur crime of Dec. 31 in which 10 (official figure but unofficially much higher) Jatav Untouchables, mostly women & children, were gunned down in a most well planned bid to silence & subdue the Untouchables. Such ghastly murders without any motive except caste prejudice can occur only in a society where the conscience has turned into stone & man becomes a brute What else we can say about the Hindu hounds, described by the govt as “dacoits”, who were neither interested in loot nor sex except the blood of the Untouchables even if they were women and babies ? The UP Home Minister is reported to have said that no caste factor was involved in the Sadhupur muders. Nor did the RSS leader Vajpayee after a visit to Sadhupur find caste behind these murders. Being high caste Hindus, they have to say, so to show to the outside world that Hindus are all milk & honoy. If no caste prejudice was invelved, why the “dacoits” wanted to find out where the Jatavs (Untouchables) lived and shot only Jatavs and none else ? In the Deoli massacre also only Jatavs were the victims and then also the govt & the po- lice said that there was no caste behind the murders. Does it not prove at least now that the motive behind these murders is only caste and nothing else ? The IGP is reported to have said that the “dacoits” wanted to take revenge for the police action against them for the Deoli killings. But revenge against whom ? If the Hindu “dacoits” wanted to take revenge on the police they should have killed the police and not the poor, unarmed Jatavs. What does this “revenge” of the “dacoits” show ? The answer to this question has a very big lesson to the dalits of India lf the police on the instruction of the govt. were to unwillingly and half-heartedly take action and punish the Hindu “”dacoits”, the ” latter will become more furious on the Untouchables for complaining to the govt. One murder will be followed by more murders. “And this is what happened at Sadhupur on Dec. 31.” What is the implication ? More dalit blood will be shed if the govt decides to protect the dalits. Because in the countryside it is the high caste Hindus that rule and not the govt. whose legislations do not apply to these Hindus. Can the govt. keep armed police, guards in each & every dalit busti ? Even supposing it does under political pressure, where is the guarantee that the police with its caste complexion being what it is, will come to the defence of the dalits ?. In many cases police have proved to be the enemy no. 1 of the dalits. The UP CM might have once offered to resign on the Deoli massacre of dalits and may really quit on its repeat performance at Sadhupur. But can any CM go on resigning or can any IGP be dismissed for every mass murder of dalits in India ? How can an individual be held responsible for a murder that results from caste prejudice which is bound to rise with the rising dalit militancy ? The Hindus will never tolerate dalits asserting their rights to live as human beings When that is the case, will they give equal share? That means, as we said (DV, Dec 1-15) the countryside, particularly the backward, stinking Hindi heartland of India, will soon turn into a bloody battlefield. It is just a question of time. As the dalit awareness is bound to rise, the Hindu resistance is bound to, reply with bullets. Democracy & caste cannot coexist. The Hindu does not believe in compassion when it comes to the question of killing the low castes, particularly the dalits. Killing a dalit who challenges his authority is the dharma (duty) of a Hindu. Has the Hindu a conscience ? So how can they expect the Hindu rulers of India to weep over dalit murders, which are so normal ? Has not Hinduism perfected an ideology that has replaced violence ? What then is the way out of this all-pervading darkness in the dalit life ? How to save the life, little property and the honour of its women ? Our human rights organisations are unconcerned about dalits à minorities. Hence we would like to reiterate what we had stated earlier (DV-Dec 1-15) : That the victims of such atrocities must quit their village and migrate to safer areas in cities. As the govt. will not be allowed to give them security even if it wants to, they have no other alternative but to migrate to safer areas. Therefore, we repeat our appeal Tor migration and systematic shifting of population. All those dalits who have gone over to cities have assured us that they have escaped the Hindu tyranny.
Such a migration & shifting of population can’t be left to the govt. Nor will it be interested in such a proposal. Rather we expect all sorts of obstructions from the ruling class. Pending such a move, which will have to ultimately result in the carving out of our own Dalit stan, dalits must get fully armed for self-protection There is no point in asking the govt. to supply arms to dalits. How can we expect the govt. to do this ? The people of India are not ruled by the govt. but by the ruling class. Even if Indira Gandhi herself resigns on the Sadhupur carnage, the ruling class will not change its heart. It is only those who’ have the heart can have a change of heart. The Indian ruling class has no heart. Therefore, we cannot expect the Indian ruling class to permit supply of arms to dalits. Have we ever heard of killers supplying guns to victims before they come to shoot? Karpoori Thakur govt’s efforts to supply arms was sabotaged by the ruling class only because of this reason. So it is foolish to ask govt, to supply arms even if Union Home Minister Zail Singh makes such a promise. They can no longer remain unermed. Because in a society where guns are outlawed only outlaws have the guns This is what is happening in India. Dalits can get no mercy from the ruling class They have to fight & destroy it. But are they in a position ? No. Dalits are the poorest & weakest in every respect, famished. Of the 4.6 million SCs in UP, 3 million live below the poverty line. The entire Hindu society is ranged against them. So fighting this enemy is no joke. The very thought of fighting it will result in the liquidation of the dalits. Lot of preparations are needed. We can clearly foresee the developing caste war.
The country side will soon turn into a battlefield. We see clear signs of it. Therefore, dalits will have to get set Even if some among them say that they are not willing for the war or ready for it, war will be forced upon them willy-nilly. They will be bludgeoned to death. In the name of law & order. non-violence, unity of India, saving Hinduism & Dharma, dalits will be shot down. “The govt & the police will be simply helpless when the caste war begins. We have the precedents of Marathwada, Gujarat and the Bihar caste wars, So the dalits will have to get ready. Even if some among them assure the Enemy that they will be their most obedient slaves, “good Hindus.” they will not be spared. Remember this : war will be forced upon them. Because the ruling class is turning more & more aggressive, fascist. It has to turn fascist. That is the only way to save its property & caste privileges by establishing a class caste dictatorship in India. Therefore, dalits will have to get themselves armed for self-protection. Not to harm others but to save their life, little property & the honour of their women Better live in honour for a day than linger as worms & cockroaches for 100 years. But dalits being in a minority in all villages, they have to first identify, their natural allies and seek their friendship. Their natural allies are none other than the other persecuted minorities whose Enemy is also the same. OBCs need to be educated. All those who are fighting this common Enemy must join hands. Remember, we are facing no ordinary Enemy. It is this Enemy from whose ideology the philosophers of Fascism have perfected their thoughts Therefore, our Enemy is indeed the Father of Fascism. It is not only our Enemy but the Enemy of the entire humanity. We have to impress this to our friends outside the world & seek their help as well. International organisations, Marxists, Blacks will have to be approached. It is, therefore, has to be a global war on the Indian fascists not only to save its dalits and the persecuted minorities but the world as a whole Towards, this, as Dr. Ambedkar said, let us Educate, Organise and Agitate. And get ready for the war, fully armed for self-protection.
