Prejudiced Hangover

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, who is also an ex-IAS officer and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has insulted and condemned de-notified tribes by tweeting on 2 August: “‘Ex-criminal tribes are known to be very cruel. They are hardcore professionals in committing crimes. Rarely caught and/or convicted.’’

Tribal and nomadic communities were labelled criminals by the British government in the colonial era. They did not fare much better under the Indian government in independent India.