Caste pride in TN: Act now to avoid it in state, say experts

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The recent caste pride incident in Tamil Nadu’s Nanguneri, Tirunelveli district, which led a group of boys from a dominant caste community to allegedly brutally attack a 17-year-old boy and his 14-year-old sister of a scheduled caste community, has sent a shocking message over which academicians raise concern.

While it is not a lonely case in Tamil Nadu, the experts felt the Government in Karnataka must see to it and act swiftly in Karnataka to avoid such incidents here as there have also been incidents before.

Speaking to News Trail, academician Niranjanaradhya said such incidents among the students are the reflection of a colossal failure to safeguard them.

“Education system is also one of the main reasons for the increasing caste pride among students as it is purely exam and marks oriented and not giving room for the discussions about fraternity”, he said.

In 2021, students from an upper caste community in Karnataka forced a Dalit student to drink water from their feet. He also said the steps to read the preamble of the Constitution will help address the caste pride as it stresses on the importance of fraternity.

Dalit activists said caste pride among students is the tip of the ice of a society filled with discrimination.

They also urged the state government to ensure the task force which it had set up does the job and pacify the investigations against the discrimination among students.