A round-table conference of a few society elders was organised here on Tuesday to brainstorm the ramifications and solutions to the brutal murder of a young man Pranay in Miryalaguda three days back.
“The reins of administration should come into the hands of Dalits. Unless that happens the societal order will not change. As long as the concept of giver and receiver is there we will have these kinds of crimes,” said retired Supreme Court Judge Justice B. Sudershan Reddy. “Unless we understand why people in power and authority are not speaking up against this crime we will not understand the problem,” said Justice Reddy questioning the silence of politicians and officials.
Among the speakers was well-known educationalist Chukka Ramaiah, who blamed the gap in thinking between parents and children. “I have taught generations of students. My insight comes from that. The problem of caste doesn’t belong to one community. It belongs to everyone. The police and administration seem to know what we eat and whom we talk to. Then how did they allow this crime to take place?” said Mr. Ramaiah.
A few activists who were part of the meeting held up black placards and raised slogans against caste and demanded justice in the case. “The caste system is hobbling the society’s progress and development. Education was expected to change this system, but instead of progressing we appear to be regressing,” said retired High Court judge Justice P. Lakshman Reddy.
“Laws are being passed but there is no change in society. I am afraid in this case the main conspirator will walk away free after a few days and the person who committed the crime might be punished,” said academician Rama Melkote who invoked Hannah Arendt’s ‘banality of evil’ about the society getting used to the crime. “The only reason for this outrage right now is because we could see the crime on the CCTV footage. Otherwise we have become used to evil that it no longer registers as something wrong,” said Ms. Melkote.
The round-table meeting was organised by Jana Chaitanya Vedika and Centre for Dalit Studies.
