The Aug.6 1991, Chandru massacre of over 25 Untouchables in the east coast Guntur dt. by the ruling Reddy’s is perhaps one of the most brutal in the history of murders itself, and the biggest in the history of Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of Hindus in a well-laid-out conspiracy chased the unarmed Untouchable men through paddy fields, caught them, hacked them to pieces, dumped into gunny bags, and footballed them into the canal at different places so that the flooded canal carried the bags into the nearby Bay of Bengal. And in this conspiracy the Hindu police collaborated.
CHUNDUR, in capital letters, will thus go into the Hindu history of non-violence and tolerance.
Chandru has received enough publicity in the competition between the Hindus in the govt. and the jealous Hindu opposition parties, both trying to make capital out of the misery of the dead Dalits. But Chandru has finally convinced us that it is no longer possible for the Untouchables to live with Hindus.
Then at Karamchand, three years ago, the killers were the Khammas — relatives of the then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. And today, the Reddy relatives of Chief Minister Janardhana Reddy did the job. As this is written, the entire upper caste/Hindu world of AP is boiling with anger against Untouchables: and skirmishes have occurred at different places. They want more blood. And Untouchables too under the able leadership of Andhra Dalit Mahasabha are’ preparing for self-defense. That means bigger and better Chondrus are underway.
Racial hatred: Chandru proves that it is not merely the caste divide that generates so much of animosity but it is racial hatred. Andhra Pradesh has become a boiling cauldron of clashing races and we can expect some more explosions.:
When the society itself gets divided neatly on racial lines what can the police or military do? In Chandru, the Hindu police conspired with the Reddy rowdies. So, when the society as a whole gets divided on racial lines, the police and military will also get divided. This is what is happening in Yugoslavia today and this is what will happen in India tomorrow.:
So, Dalit leaders all over India should sit up and seriously think whether we can afford such periodical convulsions and explosions — though we are not engineering such a violence. It is true that Karamchand discovered two able Dalit leaders – Bojja Tarak am and Katti Padma Rao – and gave birth to Andhra Pradesh Dalit Mahasabha itself. It is true that the Dalit movement in AP took a big bold leap because of Chandru and Katti Padma Rao, a close friend of the Dalit Voice, emerged as the hero of Chandru. We are happy about these developments.
We are also happy that Katti Padma Rao rightly refused to accept govt. doles. Accepting any relief from the govt. at this juncture amounts to compromise with the oppressors. The AP govt. is headed by a Reddy and the Delhi govt. is headed by an Andhra Brahmin. As long as the principal Reddy culprits- sheltered by the local upper caste MLA, Deputy Speaker Dharma Rao – are not arrested and their properties confiscated, the Hindu relief offered by the govt. should not be accepted.
It is also true that such explosions sharpen the contradictions, refine the Dalit movement, give birth to committed leadership and ultimately give a push to Dalit movement. We agree that these should be welcomed and the contradictions appropriate used. Victims of hatred: It is also true that Dalits are not the cause of such explosions. It is the Hindu racial hatred of the untouchables and their self-assertion that leads Hindus to such violent outburst and mass murders. In Chandru, our people did not kill anybody. They were only the victims of Hindu hatred. Dalits merely demanded self-respect that is all. But the Hindus, who boast about their great tolerance and non-violence, were the offenders. No doubt, such violent actions make our people more militant and more assertive.
All this is true. But can we depend upon only Hindu actions for our reactions? If the Hindus do not get angry and take to violence, Dalit movement will get no push. That means we are depending upon the Hindu engine to drive the Dalit caravan.
Democracy in danger: As long as the Dalits are docile, obedient, work as slaves of Hindus they are tolerated. The moment they express even slight resentment, let alone protest, they are kicked, killed, raped and burnt. This is what happened at Chandor.
But what does democracy mean? It means equal participation. But the Hindu ethos does not allow it. Hence this violence when the Dalits demand participation and equal sharing. This proves Dalits, the non-Hindus, cannot live with Hindus.
Blood thirsty wolves: The Hindus after committing such a serious crime, that hit national headlines continuously for over 15 days, are now coming forward with offers of peace and unity. Will the lambs ever trust the wolves? It is the wolves that eat up the innocent, peace-loving lambs. After a gala feast, they only come to the surviving lambs for unity and peace. How can the lambs ever trust such blood- thirsty wolves? From 1947, the day of independence, the country has witnessed enough of such bloody carnages perpetrated by the less than 15% Aryans/Hindus/Savarnas. And SC/ST/BCs and Muslims have lost complete trust. And for their self- defense, and secure their human rights they have to look up elsewhere.
Welfare Minister Sitaram Kesari, who replied to the Lok Sabha debate on Chandor on Aug. 13, suggested a legislation to check such atrocities on Dalits. Nonsense. Kesari is an elderly Bihari Khurmi, a backward caste, and an ardent advocate of Mandal Commission despite being in the Congress. Still, he is not able to understand that a law can punish only an individual offender. At the most a small group. But when a whole mass of humanity goes mad what can the law do? Law cannot cure a disease caused by a social, cultural, religious rupture. Nay. A mental twist. (DV edit Jan 1 1989: The Twist in the Hindu mind threatening India’s unity & integrity). Not even the military can check this sanctified racism as witnessed at Chandor.
In AP today, the entire lot of upper castes are thirsting for Dalit blood. Which Army can stop, control such crazy people? Kesari suggested setting up of a Central control room at the Lok Nayak Bhavan in New Delhi. But what is the use of this control room as long as it is controlled by the Hindus who are the very oppressors?
Rulers breaking rule of law: The existing system has no remedy when the rulers themselves break the rule of law. Chandor has proved it. Chandor should, therefore, make SC/ST/BCs and Muslims to seriously think the multi-dimensional aspects of the Chandor explosion.
Chandor has also once for all proved that India is not a nation but a group of several nations deeply divided on racial lines. Each Jati is a nation by itself. Andhra Pradesh is a good example. It has been a witness to the Dalit-Khamma, Khamma-Kapu, Reddy- Backward caste clashes in the past. Anti-Muslim riots are a daily occurrence in the country.
With so much of racial and religious divide, is it possible to maintain the unity and integrity of the country?
Dr. Ambedkar solutions: That is why Chandor should make us remember the Father of India, Babasaheb Ambedkar, who after seriously pondering over the country’s racial divide offered the solution of a separate electorate, separate settlement, proportional representation – leading to self-determination for each nation.
The principles behind these schemes are discussed in the following pages.
All these are time-tested democratic principles tried in India and elsewhere and found essential for peacefully resolving a complicated problem. Since India is the most complicated and complex country in the whole world, it can survive only under these conditions.
Unity & Integrity of India: Babasaheb’s balm is the only solution to maintain the country’s’ unity and integrity with which we are seriously concerned as its original inhabitants. Because we love this country and its unity, we are putting forward these good old time-tested democratic solutions for a wide-ranging discussion. Or else the country will break into pieces.
And this is what the Aryan aliens want.
It has now become more or less clear specially after the anti-Mandal war and violence (1990) launched by the upper castes that it is only the Untouchables who can provide the leadership to all the country’s revolutionary forces seeking social change. Though the anti-Mandal agitation was aimed at denying reservations to BCs, the upper caste anger was directed more at Dalits. Naturally, they took over the leadership of defending the Mandal and their BC comrades. The violence at Chandor is another proof of the racial divide between Hindus and Dalits. That means Hindus will be on one side and Untouchables on the opposite side. Behind the Untouchables, will stand the BCs and STs and the Muslims/Christians/ Sikhs. Untouchables alone can provide leadership to India’s second independence struggle under the banner of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who has shown us the path to rebuild India on the basis of
- separate electorate,
(2) separate settlement,
(3) proportional representation leading to
(4)-self-determination for each nation within a united Akhand Bharat.
Chandor helped us to Educate, Agitate, Organize on these lines.
