The fallout of our caste legacy shows itself in brutal ways; the killing of a Dalit youth in a village in Aurangabad district on Monday is but the most recent example. The man was tied to an electric pole and stoned to death for attacking a young woman, who was a Maratha. The people who attacked and killed him were also apparently Marathas.

The villagers reportedly blocked the roads to delay the arrival of the police. There are, it seems, several issues at work here. One is the giant problem of caste itself. In spite of all the progress we have made, the essentials of democracy — equality, justice, fair play — have still not made it into the 21st century for a large proportion of Indians. The issue of reservations invariably enters this argument and yet, the social ostracisation of Dalits and lower castes in India appears to remain at various, less tenable levels.

But this episode also points to a Dalit-Maratha face-off which has been brewing for some time in the area with both communities looking for a larger share of the social and economic pie. And, of course, now the political pie — the Marathas have demanded reservations as OBCs and this has increased their belligerence and resentment on all sides.

The other troubling matter to be considered is of the increased incidences of vigilante justice all over the country. The instinct — whether in the cities or villages — appears to be to hit first and let the authorities get involved later, though it could be argued that instant justice always existed in Indian villages, especially in Dalit-upper caste skirmishes. The Khairlanji massacre of 2006 brought Maharashtra's caste issues very starkly to the fore.

However, the first priority is for the government to come down firmly against these types of atrocities. The caste stigma has to be fought on various levels, yes, but law and order has to take precedence over village politics. Instead it seems that the police are not considered at all when it comes to such questions. An argument about "internal" matters is trotted out and everyone goes back to their earlier state of least said soonest mended.

This killing shows that the matter is not going to go away so easily. Caste, now a powerful political weapon, is bound to spring up in uncomfortable and violent ways if we do not take it upon ourselves as a society to get rid of it.

DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication