The Pune Collective strongly condemns the brutal rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl by four upper-caste men in Hathras. Denying the most basic dignity even in death, the Dalit girl in Hathras was killed twice by the supporters of the twice-born castes: first murdered, then secretly cremated by the Police.
In protest, the Pune Collective has organized its next program on Saturday, the 3rd of October, 2020, at 6 pm.
Caste Hegemony-Patriarchy: the State ‘Nexus’
The number of cases of sexual violence, brutality, and crimes against women, Dalits, and especially Dalit women has been significantly increasing in the Modi-Yogi Raj. Ranging from murders to not even registering an FIR to also providing protection to perpetrators have been instrumental in maintaining caste-based hierarchies and power relations. The incident in UP seems to be a blueprint of the casteist–patriarchal-feudal nature of the Hindu Rashtra. From Khairlanji to Kathua to Hathras, this case is only one among many and we fear many more are going to come.
At such a juncture, it is critical that we understand how such violence is systemically and structurally normalized and allowed to persist. But we also would like to discuss the way forward for a better and just society.
In this session, we will be joined by Disha Wadekar, Supreme Court Lawyer and Activist; V. Geetha, Feminist Historian, Writer, and Translator; and Jagmati Sangwan, Women’s rights activist and Vice-president of AIDWA.
This session will be in Marathi, Hindi, and English.