oppn parties The Caste Reality: Hierarchy, Groups, Sub-Groups Ad Infinitum

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Tragedy in Kolkata: Stampede at the Chor Bagan Pujo results in 18 people losing their lives and scores injured /////// The stampede was caused by a sudden downpour which made people in the heavy crowd run for cover
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The Caste Reality: Hierarchy, Groups, Sub-Groups Ad Infinitum

By Tanmaya Das
First publised on 2021-02-08 09:13:30

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Tanmaya is a budding journalist

A kangaroo court in Bundelkhand has directed 25 people of the Ahiwar community (SC) to shave off their heads and take a dip in the holy Ganga for purification. They participated in a Tehervi ritual (death ceremony) of a deceased in the Basod family, a part of the SC community but lower in the hierarchy. All 25 young people from the Ahiwar community were punished for their participation. However, one of them has registered a complaint. The police are investigating the matter.

The incident highlights how subdivisions among already divided castes have become so rooted that the compartmentalization of people along caste lines has now reached absurd levels. From four broad groups, we now have thousands of sub- groups fighting for rights and political patronage. The government has not helped by issuing lists categorizing such groups separately. This is not the first time such a punishment has been handed out by such kangaroo courts. Although more prevalent in UP and Bihar, this practice is seen in most states as elders seek to retain their supremacy over the tiny groups. 

The caste system in India is an ancient practice that has segregated society as per the occupation. For centuries, the caste dictates the position of each group, arranged in a complex hierarchy. However, the purpose and meaning of such division has changed over time. Today, the caste division is more prominent in rural communities and loses its potency in the sea of people in urban areas.

Irrespective of castes, rich people of all castes are more privileged than poor individuals including Brahmins, the highest in the hierarchy. Financial insecurity has created more division, but our legal system, barring the exception of introducing a "creamy layer" for applying affirmative action, has followed fixed social norms. The virtual reality of caste division has not changed our perspective.  A poor Brahmin may still not share his customs and traditions with a rich Shudra.

Although banned by the constitution, discrimination based on caste is implicit in the political administration of our country. Politicians look for electoral gains while dividing communities along caste lines. Merit is the biggest loser as we seek to expand affirmative action to undo the historical wrong meted out to the lower castes. Kangaroo courts will keep on punishing people as long as we keep segmenting them along caste lines and keep on creating smaller compartments for them.

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