In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and cul... more In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and culturally sanctioned misogyny. These deep-rooted prejudices are manifested at both the societal and the institutional levels. In such a scenario, any assertion of justice by Dalit women is fraught with tensions. The sexual violence against them is routinized, normalized and invisibilized. For the victims, it is a lonely struggle as civil society scarcely registers such crimes; for the law and judiciary, it is another claim for meagre compensation. Their bodies are bereft of honour, and their sexuality is viewed with suspicion, easily accessible to any male of the dominant communities who can lay claim to it. This article explores two case studies—Khairlanji and Nirbhaya, geographically distinct spaces, where Dalit women were brutally raped and mutilated, and the perpetrators were let off lightly. The mainstream media largely ignored the developments. The article also focuses on the fissure...
In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and cul... more In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and culturally sanctioned misogyny. These deep-rooted prejudices are manifested at both the societal and the institutional levels. In such a scenario, any assertion of justice by Dalit women is fraught with tensions. The sexual violence against them is routinized, normalized and invisibilized. For the victims, it is a lonely struggle as civil society scarcely registers such crimes; for the law and judiciary, it is another claim for meagre compensation. Their bodies are bereft of honour, and their sexuality is viewed with suspicion, easily accessible to any male of the dominant communities who can lay claim to it. This article explores two case studies-Khairlanji and Nirbhaya, geographically distinct spaces, where Dalit women were brutally raped and mutilated, and the perpetrators were let off lightly. The mainstream media largely ignored the developments. The article also focuses on the fissures within the feminist movement vis-à-vis caste and the politics of sexuality.
In the Indian context, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘c... more In the Indian context, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘caste purity’. Historically, the violation of caste codes including those related to women have been subjected to punishment through the instrument of social ostracism. Dalit men and women have been encountering culturally sanctioned violence, from higher caste people in the name of ‘violating social norms’ such as temple entry, untouchability, intercaste marriages, and so on. As a result, Dalits, especially women become easy targets for the ‘guardians of social authority’. Sadly, larger majority of Hindus remain immune to the occurrence of violence against Dalits. This article aims to address sexual violence, specifically rapes of Dalit women due to their intersectional position in the society. It explores the responses of state machinery on two case studies: Bhagana (2014) and Alwar (2019), wherein Dalit women’s rapes expose the power wielded by dominant caste communities. The paper sho...
In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and cul... more In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and culturally sanctioned misogyny. These deep-rooted prejudices are manifested at both the societal and the institutional levels. In such a scenario, any assertion of justice by Dalit women is fraught with tensions. The sexual violence against them is routinized, normalized and invisibilized. For the victims, it is a lonely struggle as civil society scarcely registers such crimes; for the law and judiciary, it is another claim for meagre compensation. Their bodies are bereft of honour, and their sexuality is viewed with suspicion, easily accessible to any male of the dominant communities who can lay claim to it. This article explores two case studies—Khairlanji and Nirbhaya, geographically distinct spaces, where Dalit women were brutally raped and mutilated, and the perpetrators were let off lightly. The mainstream media largely ignored the developments. The article also focuses on the fissure...
In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and cul... more In the Indian context, women, especially Dalit women, have been subjected to scripturally and culturally sanctioned misogyny. These deep-rooted prejudices are manifested at both the societal and the institutional levels. In such a scenario, any assertion of justice by Dalit women is fraught with tensions. The sexual violence against them is routinized, normalized and invisibilized. For the victims, it is a lonely struggle as civil society scarcely registers such crimes; for the law and judiciary, it is another claim for meagre compensation. Their bodies are bereft of honour, and their sexuality is viewed with suspicion, easily accessible to any male of the dominant communities who can lay claim to it. This article explores two case studies-Khairlanji and Nirbhaya, geographically distinct spaces, where Dalit women were brutally raped and mutilated, and the perpetrators were let off lightly. The mainstream media largely ignored the developments. The article also focuses on the fissures within the feminist movement vis-à-vis caste and the politics of sexuality.
In the Indian context, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘c... more In the Indian context, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘caste purity’. Historically, the violation of caste codes including those related to women have been subjected to punishment through the instrument of social ostracism. Dalit men and women have been encountering culturally sanctioned violence, from higher caste people in the name of ‘violating social norms’ such as temple entry, untouchability, intercaste marriages, and so on. As a result, Dalits, especially women become easy targets for the ‘guardians of social authority’. Sadly, larger majority of Hindus remain immune to the occurrence of violence against Dalits. This article aims to address sexual violence, specifically rapes of Dalit women due to their intersectional position in the society. It explores the responses of state machinery on two case studies: Bhagana (2014) and Alwar (2019), wherein Dalit women’s rapes expose the power wielded by dominant caste communities. The paper sho...
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