I wanted to add some information this week on the subject of the Dalits, meaning the crushed or broken ones; also known as  the Untouchables. My first  personal exposure to their plight involved Indian naturalized citizens that were officers in the U. S. Army. I had a medical specialty skill and my organization had a glut of individuals ranked O-4 (Major) and higher; an anomaly for any other type of unit.


There was a dispute involving a doctor ranked as a Captain (O-3) and a Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) It regarded the Captain's refusal to salute the Colonel, only because he knew the senior officer was from the Dalit caste. In his homeland, many would find this gifted surgeon "less than human." A for the U.S. Army? Deciding not to salute a superior is not tolerated, even in a unit like mine that many found "free-wheeling" within a military context. A courts martial convened about this, with the junior officer unrepentant in his disposition, so he was dishonorably released from the military.

Every day 1.3 million people in India (of which more than 80% are Dalit women) are forced to clean human excrement with their bare hands for little to no wages, a practice called manual scavenging. On June 17, 2011, Prime Minister Singh called manual scavenging “one of the darkest blots on [India’s] development process” and asked all State Ministers to pledge to eliminate this scourge from every corner of India by the end of 2011. 

In India, the discrimination of this group is much more severe. What follows is a video you will find at the Dalit Freedom Network. The  300 million Dalits suffer disciminations of wage, education, career and job placement, as well as child and women trafficking significantly higher than the general population. Many Dalits suffer beatings and killings for an attempt to leave their lives in a Hindu caste by converting to Christianity or Islam. The objections include the need for by those in higher castes to have the Dalits play their role in Hinduism as the lowest rung.