In the CJI’s case, the shoe-throwing was defended by some Hindutva supporters; in Haryana, the government was criticised for not immediately taking action against the DGP named in the suicide note; in UP, the police allegedly watched as a Dalit ‘thief’ was lynched. In MP, police are yet to make arrests after a Dalit man was urinated upon for opposing illegal mining, and he was allegedly pressured against escalating the matter.
Just a few days before the shoe-throwing incident, the RSS—BJP’s ideological fountainhead—had invited CJI Gavai’s mother to their Vijayadashami celebration in Nagpur. While she declined, former President Ram Nath Kovind attended the event to bolster the RSS’s efforts to incorporate Dalits into the larger Hindutva identity.
In his annual address, the RSS chief warned against attempts to disrupt the country’s diversity and called for the embracing of societal differences.
But within a week of Bhagwat’s speech, the fault line in Hindutva unity with regard to Dalits became evident when advocate Rakesh Kishore openly defended his act of flinging a shoe at the Chief Justice of India, and many who identified as BJP supporters justified his actions on social media, blaming the CJI for allegedly insulting Sanatana Dharma in his remarks on 16 September.
This came even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident.
Among those who came out in support of Kishore was YouTuber Ajeet Bharti, who was accused by some social media users of inciting people against the CJI. The Noida Police took him in for questioning regarding certain remarks he made about the shoe-throwing incident, and then released him. This was perceived by many as the state government going soft on those openly abusing the chief justice.
Contacted by ThePrint for comment, Lucknow University professor Shashikant Pandey said, “The memories of the Hathras incident remain vivid, where a Dalit girl was gang-raped and the authorities cremated her against her family’s wishes. This indicates that despite seven decades of independence and the Constitution established by Ambedkar, societal and authoritative perspectives towards Dalits have not evolved.”
Referring to the incident of the Dalit youth lynched in UP, Pandey said: “The Hariom (Balmiki) case reveals new evidence that the RSS’s broader agenda of Hindutva unification is still incomplete, as upper caste groups continue to maintain their dominance in society and compete with Dalits.”
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 57,789 cases of crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) were registered in 2023, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for the highest share of cases at 15,130. Rajasthan came next with 8,449 cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh (8,232) and Bihar (7,064).
‘Hum baba ke log hain’
On 7 October, a day after the attack on the CJI, in BJP-ruled Haryana, senior IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar died by apparent suicide, detailing alleged instances of discrimination and humiliation over his caste in an eight-page note.
A week after the IPS officer’s death, amid mounting pressure from Dalit organisations and opposition parties, and the officer’s wife’s demands for the arrest of the DGP accused in the suicide note, DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur was sent on leave. This was seen as a reaction without real will for justice.
A BJP leader from Haryana told ThePrint: “(Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh) Saini was awaiting approval from central leaders and did not anticipate larger implications; that is why he was making decisions slowly. However, when the Centre instructed him to act swiftly due to the potential disruption of the Bihar elections, the DGP, who is close to a central minister, was sent on leave.”
This leader further said: “The BJP had lost two SC reserved seats, Ambala and Sirsa, in the Lok Sabha, and it was essential (that it) be seen addressing the case of Dalit officers, as we lost the narrative in the first few days.”
In Uttar Pradesh, a 38-year-old Dalit man called Hariom Balmiki was allegedly lynched on 2 October by villagers for being a “drone chor”. This, as the police allegedly watched.
After meeting the victim’s family, UP Congress chief Ajai Rai said: ‘Hariom Balmiki was on his way to meet his wife when he was beaten in front of the police, who could have intervened. When he mentioned Rahul Gandhi’s name, the attackers responded, ‘hum bhi baba ke log hain’, indicating that such incidents are occurring repeatedly under Baba’s jungle raj.”
Subsequently, the UP DGP suspended three police personnel for negligence. Following the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sent Rakesh Sachan and Asim Arun, two of his ministers, to meet the bereaved family and assure them of strict action against the perpetrators.
Following the alleged suicide of the Dalit IPS officer in Haryana, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: “Between 2013 and 2023, there has been a 46 percent increase in crimes against Dalits, while crimes against Adivasis have surged 91 percent.”
“Caste discrimination faced by an IPS officer in Haryana, the harassment of Hariom Valmiki, the assault on the Chief Justice of India, the BJP’s mindset that justifies such actions, and the atrocities committed against elderly Dalit woman Kamla Devi Raigar in Sawai Madhopur district of BJP-ruled Rajasthan…These recent occurrences are not isolated incidents; they represent a perilous manifestation of the RSS-BJP’s feudal mentality,” he added.
In the fourth incident, a Dalit youth was subjected to urination on the face, in Matwara village in MP’s Katni district. No arrests were made, leading to much outrage. Moreover, the victim alleged that a police officer pressured him not to escalate the matter.
Congress Madhya Pradesh President Jitu Patwari has accused the BJP government, led by Mohan Yadav, of failing to acknowledge the atrocities against Dalits.
Patwari posted on social media: “I have been waiting for the past 24 hours for your silence to break on yet another #anti-Dalit criminal act in MP! For the slumber of the despicable/shameless system to be disturbed! But, the thick skin of power once again appears unperturbed! After #Sidhi, @ChouhanShivraj ji had performed the drama of washing feet! In your “good governance,” now a #urine_scandal has occurred in #Katni too! It was a Dalit before! And yet again, a Dalit has become a victim of public oppression!”
Dalits and elections
A senior BJP leader said, “It is the BJP government, under Modi, that has diligently worked to integrate and empower Dalits within the social framework and share power structures. However, in the administrative and power structures, the mindset remains predominantly upper caste. Consequently, despite sensitivity at higher levels, the response system is sluggish at the lower levels, leading to detrimental effects.”
The leader further said, “Our government appointed Ram Nath Kovind as President to empower the community. When the Supreme Court relaxed the rules in the SC/ST Act, many within the BJP expressed concerns about the rising anger among upper castes against the Act, yet the BJP government enacted an ordinance to safeguard the rights of Dalits.”
In 1990, the BJP, under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani, actively sought the support of OBCs and Dalits, fostering relationships with Dalit and OBC leaders. The BJP supported Dalit leader Mayawati as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh as part of a broader Dalit Hindutva consolidation initiative. Additionally, it appointed Dalit Bangaru Laxman as its national president during Vajpayee’s tenure, although this was later marred by corruption allegations against Laxman.
Ashok Bharti, secretary general of the Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, said: “For Dalits, reservations, the SC/ST Act, and Ambedkar are sensitive issues. They regard Ambedkar as a deity in their homes. Whenever any of these topics are addressed, the fault lines within the Dalit community become apparent. It is the political parties’ failure to secure the votes of Dalits, yet they continue to treat Dalits as untouchables.”
In the middle of 2015’s assembly elections, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed the topic of reviewing reservations. RJD chief Lalu Prasad swiftly altered the entire election campaign in Bihar by highlighting Bhagwat’s remarks about abolishing reservations from one meeting to the next. Consequently, the BJP faced a defeat in the Bihar elections.
Be it the Hathras incident, or the Una case—which contributed heavily to the public pressure that led to Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel’s ouster after seven members of a Dalit family were assaulted and stripped by cow vigilantes in 2016—these events sparked significant national outrage. Similarly, the Haryana IPS suicide case has kept the BJP on edge regarding Dalit issues.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as the BJP aimed for 400 seats, the INDIA alliance launched an electoral campaign asserting that “the BJP needs 400 seats to alter the Constitution”. Some BJP MPs even justified constitutional changes, instilling fear within the Dalit community across several Hindi heartland states, from Uttar Pradesh to Haryana and Rajasthan.
As a result, Dalits voted against the BJP, leading to a reduction in the BJP’s majority from 303 seats to 240 in 2024. The Scheduled Castes constitute 17 percent of the population, and due to fears surrounding constitutional changes, the BJP even lost the Faizabad seat, associated with the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Samajwadi Party’s Dalit candidate, Awdesh Prasad, emerged victorious, while Congress, which had secured only six SC seats in 2019, won 20 SC reserved Lok Sabha seats, and the INDIA alliance claimed 33 seats. The BJP suffered, winning only 29 SC seats compared to 44 in 2019, with significant losses in Uttar Pradesh for the NDA.
Furthermore, in December during the winter session of Parliament, the BJP found itself once again embroiled in the Dalit identity issue when Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, touched a nerve within the Dalit caste group with his comments on Ambedkar.
“These days, there is a fashion. Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If you took the name of God this many times, you would attain heaven for the next seven lives,” Shah had said, provoking a strong reaction from the Opposition.
Rakesh Ranjan, professor at Patna University said, “The problem with empowerment politics is that the majority of the community is still dominated by the upper caste. It takes time to change the entire power structure, and the BJP is still dominated by the upper caste. Despite changes at the political level, administrative mentality is still upper caste dominated and there is no harmony at the lower level. Every day we hear about cases of a Dalit groom not being allowed to ride a horse to his wedding.”