Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Plight of Dalits

Sir, — The analysis on "Social equality — lessons from the U.S." (Dec. 4) by Kancha Illaih is incisive and forthright on the serious social problem of the times. During my stay in the U.S. for some period, I could see sporadic reports in the dailies like The New York Times and Washington Post indicating how casual derogatory comments — leave alone physical assaults — on African Americans invited strong punitive steps which included hefty fines besides jail terms. These are reflective of the marked attitudinal change since the days of Abraham Lincoln who had worked for the abolition of slavery.

In India, Gandhiji strived for the abolition of untouchability and termed the untouchables as "Harijans". Though the Constitution has made untouchability an offence, many people continue to perpetrate the same.

Unless the anti-untouchability law gets strictly enforced, the move for religious conversions circumventing all barriers cannot be checked.

K. Ramamurthi,

Chennai

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