Caste Discrimination in India Today: Stories from Ground Zero

Table of Contents

Introduction

Caste discrimination in India remains a pressing issue, persisting from ancient social hierarchies to modern cities and campuses, despite constitutional guarantees of equality. News headlines, government reports, and lived experiences reveal how, in July 2025, caste bias fuels social inequality from rural villages to elite institutions.

What Is Caste Discrimination?

Caste discrimination refers to the unequal treatment and systemic exclusion of individuals based on their hereditary social group, or caste. The Indian caste system divides society into hierarchical groups, with rights, occupations, and dignity determined by birth and passed down generations1. Dalits (formerly “Untouchables”) and people from “lower” castes remain marginalized, facing obstacles in education, employment, housing, and personal security2 1.

Despite India’s Constitution outlawing such practices (Articles 14, 15, and 17), and affirmative action quotas (“reservations”), the gap between law and everyday reality remains wide3 4.

The Roots and Continuity of Caste Bias

Ancient Origins: Casteism dates back nearly 3,000 years, dividing Hindus into four primary categories (varna) with Dalits and Adivasis outside this order5.
Religious and Social Spread: While rooted in Hindu society, caste hierarchies have also been adopted by some Sikh, Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian communities in South Asia1 6.
Persistence After 1950: The Constitution banned untouchability, but entrenched attitudes and local customs continue to foster discrimination, especially in rural areas4 7 2.

Caste Discrimination Today: Facts and Figures

Violence and Atrocities

In 2024, Dalits in several Indian states faced systemic violence:
- Three Dalit youths were forced to drink urine in Uttar Pradesh.
- In Madhya Pradesh, a Dalit woman and her grandson were beaten by police8.
- Multiple cases in private and public institutions highlight ongoing brutality and exclusion.
According to Human Rights Watch and national records, crimes against Dalits—ranging from assault to murder—remain shockingly frequent in 20258.

Education and Academic Bias

A 2025 survey at IIT Delhi found that 75% of historically disadvantaged students faced discrimination and caste-based taunts9.
Dalit students and faculty face social isolation, exclusion from academic opportunities, and even violence. Multiple resignations and student suicides have been linked to persistent casteism in India’s top universities10 11 12.
Incidents of Dalit children being forced to clean school toilets or being segregated at lunchtime persist, especially in rural districts11.

Table: Recent Cases of Caste-Based Violence and Discrimination in India (2024–2025)

Incident	Location	Description	Source
Forced to drink urine, beaten by police	Uttar Pradesh, MP	Dalit youth and women are subject to degrading abuse	8
IIT discrimination survey	Delhi (IIT)	75% SC/ST students reported caste-based harassment	9
Dalit boy beaten for drinking from pot	Rajasthan	Dalit boy beaten for drinking from a pot	11
Suicide of Dalit/OBC teacher	Delhi University	Suicide attributed to rigged recruitment, caste exclusion	10

Despite economic growth, caste remains a powerful axis of exclusion:

The richest 1% of Indians own over 53% of total national wealth; the bottom half owns less than 4.1%13 14.
Former “untouchable” groups are relegated to the most hazardous labor, such as manual scavenging and waste removal, and often lack legal recourse or union representation15.
Healthcare, nutrition, and land ownership disparities are critically worse among Dalits and Adivasis, with many pushed into poverty by medical costs13 14.

Modern Forms of Caste Discrimination

Urban and Rural Divide: While urban areas mask direct untouchability, subtle forms persist through housing discrimination, job recruitment, and social networks. In rural India, outright segregation, land access denial, and violence remain widespread2 7 15.
Digital Casteism: Social media has amplified narratives but also led to cyberbullying and new platforms for bias, especially when targeting affirmative action policies9 12.
Workplace Discrimination: There remain allegations and legal suits regarding denial of promotions, harassment, and tokenism in both public and private sectors, including multinationals15.

Ground Zero Stories: Caste Discrimination in India (2024–2025)

Below are original, data-driven ground zero stories from across India in 2024–25 that illustrate the lived reality of caste discrimination. Each story is supported by credible reporting, rights organizations, and official data.

1. Uttar Pradesh (July 2024): Assault for Drawing Water

In the village of Sikauhula, Banda district, a 36-year-old Dalit woman attempted to draw water from a tube well. She was assaulted by a local farmer and his son, both from an upper-caste community, who hurled caste slurs and beat her for “polluting” their water source. Though a police complaint was lodged under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, no arrests were made in the days following the attack. This story exemplifies the criminalization of everyday acts, where Dalits are denied access to water—a fundamental right—due to caste prejudice1.

2. Uttar Pradesh (July 2024): Dalit Groom Attacked During Wedding Rituals

In Madakarimupr village, Muzaffarnagar, a Dalit groom was brutally attacked, along with his guests, for mounting a horse during his wedding—an act upper-caste groups considered “transgressive.” Casteist songs played during the ceremony further inflamed tensions. The police registered an FIR after several people were injured. Such attacks during weddings remain a persistent form of humiliating Dalit assertion of dignity and equality1.

3. Bihar (2024): Police and Systemic Collusion

A teenage Dalit girl was raped in rural Bihar in 2024. Instead of supporting the victim, local police allegedly threatened her family to remain silent, warning that pursuing justice would result in further marginalization and violence. This incident underscores the institutional nature of caste oppression—where authorities tasked with protecting vulnerable citizens become complicit in their victimization1.

4. Karnataka (2025): Manual Scavenging Deaths Despite Ban

Despite the Supreme Court’s 2025 order banning manual scavenging in metro cities2, at least 72 manual scavenging deaths were recorded across India by July 2025, with notable cases in Karnataka. Victims, all from Dalit communities, perished cleaning sewers and drains without safety equipment. Social activists have revealed that deaths are likely underreported, and affected families rarely receive compensation. Survivors recount being “pushed into these jobs by birth,” demonstrating how caste dictates hazardous, dehumanizing labor despite legal prohibition2 3.

5. Education: Persistent Humiliation and Segregation

In schools across Tamil Nadu and northern India, Dalit students continue to face both overt and covert discrimination:

Physical segregation (being made to sit at the classroom’s back or outside)
Forced to clean toilets/classrooms while classmates look on
Mocked by teachers and peers through caste-based slurs and denial of leadership roles4 5

One child recounted: “My teacher told me that my parents can pay the school fee by coming to clean the toilets—they do that work anyway.” Such humiliation is so intense that some Dalit students have developed trauma or even been driven to suicide4 5.

6. Social Boycott in Uttarakhand (2024): Collective Punishment

Dalit families in Uttarakhand were subjected to a village-wide social boycott after not participating in a religious event due to illness. Cut off from essential supplies and community life by the panchayat, they endured several weeks of deprivation. The practice of social boycott remains a tool of collective caste punishment in remote India, depriving entire families and communities of dignity and survival resources1.

7. Dalit Women: Sexual Violence and Intersectional Harm

Dalit women continue to be among the most vulnerable. Reports indicate:

A gang rape conviction rate of less than 2% when the victim is Dalit, compared to about 25% nationally6
Dalit women in Haryana and Bihar are reporting sexual assault, trafficking, and even murders, with perpetrators often shielded by their social status
Many Dalit women are forced into bonded labor or prostitution, with little recourse to justice or support systems7 6 8 9 10

A Dalit woman activist testified: “Even when I go to report sexual violence, the police often side with the accused if he is upper-caste.”

8. Manual Scavenging Incidents: Ongoing Deaths and Apathy

From October 2024 to July 2025, at least 10 manual scavenging deaths were reported in Karnataka alone, despite strict laws. Many such deaths occur in metro cities and smaller towns, often going unreported. Survivors and advocates lament that official data grossly understates the prevalence due to government reluctance to enumerate Dalit sanitation workers, perpetuating institutional denial and neglect2 3.

9. Caste Atrocities Map (Jan–June 2025): Nationwide Pattern

A half-year chronicle by CJP recorded 113 incidents of caste atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis. Assault and humiliation were most common, but cases also included murder, sexual violence, and forced social exclusion. These numbers, likely underreported, show the normalization of anti-Dalit atrocities across both urban and rural India11.

Key Takeaways

Caste discrimination in India, as of July 2025, remains deeply embedded, cutting across regions, institutions, and social domains.
Physical violence, social boycotts, workplace exclusion, educational humiliation, and sexual abuse all continue, despite constitutional and legal safeguards.
The stories above, captured from on-ground reporting and rights organizations, underscore not only the persistence but also the resilience of those affected, as movements for dignity, justice, and assertion grow stronger every year.

The Gendered Face of Caste

Dalit women face a “double burden”—higher rates of sexual violence, domestic abuse, and workplace discrimination than both upper-caste women and Dalit men7 8 1.
Recent attacks in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu reported by Human Rights Watch show the severe vulnerability of Dalit women to assaults and denial of justice8 11.
Caste-based exclusion is especially acute in rural healthcare and maternal resources, pushing women into cycles of poverty and malnutrition14.

Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations in education and government jobs have enabled some upward mobility since 19504.
However, many upper-caste groups challenge reservation policies, claiming they undermine “merit.” Critics note that “merit” itself is often structured by inherited privilege, as evidenced by enduring biases in recruitment and campus life12 9.

Chart: Educational Attainment by Caste (2024 estimates)

Group	Higher Education Enrollment (%)	Graduation Rate (%)
General Category	39%	36%
OBC	25%	22%
SC/ST	18%	15%

Legal Framework and Policy Responses

Constitutional Protections: Articles 14, 15, and 17 outlaw discrimination, and the “Prevention of Atrocities” Act (1989, amended 2015) criminalizes violence and exclusion3 1 12.
Reservations: Almost 50% of seats in public education and jobs are reserved for SC, ST, and OBC communities4.
Challenges: Laws are not always enforced on the ground. Dalits face challenges reporting crimes, slow judicial processes, and local power networks that stall justice2 8 12.

Resistance, Reform, and Progress

Dalit Movements: Led by figures like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and contemporary activists, Dalit movements demand strict legal enforcement, economic justice, access to land, and social dignity16.
Civil Society and Media: New wave journalism, documentary projects, and online movements now amplify ground zero stories, shining light on both atrocities and acts of courage.
Recent Government Initiatives: The 2024–25 period saw renewed calls for stricter manual scavenging enforcement and media campaigns for anti-caste awareness15.

FAQ – Caste Discrimination in India

Q1: Is caste discrimination illegal in India?
Yes. The Indian Constitution and subsequent laws explicitly prohibit caste-based discrimination and untouchability, with strong legal penalties (see Vikaspedia and Indian Express).

Q2: Does caste discrimination still occur in urban areas?
Yes, though it may be less overt, it continues in housing, education, employment, and social networks9 15.

Q3: How effective are reservation policies?
Reservations have enabled some mobility but are insufficient without strict enforcement, anti-bias education, and support for first-generation students and employees4 11.

Q4: Who are the most affected by caste discrimination?
Dalits, Adivasis (tribal groups), and marginalized OBC communities are most affected, especially women and children among these groups2 8.

Q5: What is being done to combat caste discrimination today?
Legal reforms, social movements, digital activism, and educational campaigns seek to bridge the gap. Enforcement, political will, and public participation remain critical challenges2 8 15.

References

References:
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