Caste Superiority in the 21st Century

In this globalised and modern society, there is a popular notion that the caste system is a dying phenomenon. At the same time, persons from lower castes have experienced the ugliest forms of caste-based discrimination, violence, and humiliation in public places, offices, public transport, and educational institutions in the last few years. The people from the lower castes are being lynched and killed, physically and verbally abused merely for drinking water from the pot, sitting in the front row in the classroom, keeping a horse, or having a stylish moustache.

In the last few years, it has been seen that individuals from the dominant castes have been expressing their solidarity with the accused persons and taking their conviction or any legal action against them as an attack on their caste pride or identity. Rather than collectively condemning heinous acts and showing solidarity with the victims, such groups start indulging in caste-based identity politics, blaming certain individuals or groups for defaming their caste. On the other hand, the victim(s) and their family hardly get the solidarity of all the sections of Indian society. Incidents of caste atrocities in Hathras and Jalore are some significant examples where certain sub-caste groups openly stood in solidarity with the accused and publicly displayed their caste consciousness by holding meetings, rallies, and protests.