Thread by @Ambedkarite333

TW

This was the placard I held at the protest today. A woman stops her vehicle in the middle of the road and asks me why I am mentioning the Dalit caste of the victim. I say the victim was r*ped because she was a Dalit, hence it is important to point out the victim's caste 1/n

She then argues that a woman was r*ped, that is all there is to mention. She then says why am I saying #DalitLivesMatter when women of all castes are the victims. I try explaining how caste plays a role in the dehumanization of Dalit women, just like their gender does too 2/n

A gender activist joins the conversation and says she herself is a Brahmin yet stands for Dalit women because they are not only the victims of patriarchy but of the caste system as well. She further explains how this particular crime was committed by UC Thakurs on a Dalit 3/n

The women on the vehicle agrees that the r*pe was a horrible incident, and that the criminals must be punished. She talks about how women have been oppressed for centuries, and adds that women of all castes are the victims, but refuses to acknowledge the caste aspect of it 4/n

While I appreciate that she tried to engage in a conversation, it is nonetheless disappointing how the woman understood her oppression because of patriarchy but could not realize that Dalit women have to suffer from both the patriarchy and the caste system n/n