While atrocities against Dalits have remained a persistent anti-social evil, the trend has been amplified by the hindutva politics since 2014. Pushing the Dalits down the socio-economic ladder and not letting the future generations access the ladder is the agenda in play right now in India. Anyone resisting this in any way are dealt with violence and that has further evolved into an approach of setting up examples (of violent backlash) to coerce the Dalits in India to believe, their safety depends upon them keeping their heads down and doing what the dominant groups task them with.
This is varnavyavastha putting people in their place as prescribed by the shastras. Unless, we openly accept the need for anti-shastra/anti-hindutva propaganda, we will never ever control (never mind prevent) such police excess claiming innocent lives. Killing is merely a means to achieve the subservience they feel they've lost in the past few decades. Those who are yet to see proper roads and electricity are being sent further backwards in time.
Getting educated and believing in buddha has absolutely nothing to do with saving these lives or preventing such crimes. The education and buddha rhetoric is a mere tool for those who crave a Tier-II career in electoral politics.
Within the urban landscape where there is limited to no threat-to-life, the upliftment and subsequent representation in the mainstream can be enabled through education. When physical safety is confirmed and the worst adversary tones down to mockery/insults based on vedic beliefs, the rhetoric based on buddhism can help win a few arguments at best. However, this only applies to those who do not face life-threatening existential crises on daily basis like the Adivasis. Self-respect is important but only for those who have no fear of death or hunger.
The migration-to-buddhism and get-educated rhetoric does not fit the oppressed in rural societies. That rhetoric's existence is the check-post preventing proper life-saving retaliations.
Most oppressed people in the rural pockets hardly ever visit brahmin-controlled temples and tend to have their own worship practices. Moving to buddhism means nothing to them.
Going to school and getting educated cannot contribute to their physical safety from extra-judicial killings and related atrocities. It is the other way around where, once their safety is guaranteed, they will naturally aspire to get educated and grow.
Dropping their original identity is being thrust on them as the only way to integrate with the mainstream. The mainstream society has enough diversity already and it can very well accommodate Adivasis as they are. First and foremost is the assurance of safety where they gain confidence over their right to life and liberty which, as it turns out, is not a product of empathy but a promise of the constitution. When the constitution's promise is not upheld, the natural response has to be its outright rejection until the promises are upheld.
This is where the kalam-ki-kranthi pandemonium comes into play distorting the truth behind the retaliation, indirectly enabling the unfair labelling of proper responses as 'left-wing-terrorism' which has been created to dilute the only means to get to the negotiation table; all for a piece of political clout that can get them a Tier-II career in electoral politics.
The Dalits are facing impending genocide in almost every non-urban landscape possible in this country. Praying to a different god or getting a degree is not going to save them. It never has. It never will.
Remember, it is the same section of society which made it to the highest position possible through education and managed to compile the constitution which is getting massacred like undocumented guinea pigs in a research facility. All that highest level of education and the opportunity to compile the constitution has not installed any preventive measure to prevent atrocities against that section of society. It has, at best, managed to set standards for equality and equitable access to opportunities besides life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. To realize those standards, they need to be enforced. This calls for a political will that remains unhinged from the cravings of electoral politics. Such a political will has vanished from this nation's socio-political fabric decades ago. It needs to be revived. That is the only means to ensure the real moolnivasis live up to aspire for education and further economic upliftment. In between 'Living' and 'Aspiring to get educated' lies accessing proper roads, electricity and healthcare. 'Living' has become a challenge for Adivasis.
The need of the hour has changed.
We shouldn't be surprised about the consequences.
Buddha and education can wait for now.
Best regards,
