Bahujan Samaj Party activists demand the Bollywood film Aarakshan, or Reservation, be banned. Picture: APSource: AP
IT is an explosive social issue that for centuries has divided India into a rigid social hierarchy.
Now a Bollywood film about caste, which opened yesterday, has unleashed violent protests and a legal battle to stop it from being screened in three of the country's biggest states which are home to 312 million people - more than a quarter of India's population.
The film, Aarakshan, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood's biggest star, offers a highly critical interpretation of India's so-called reservation policy.
It is a system of affirmative action in which every year, tens of thousands of the best government jobs and university places are reserved for Dalits or "Untouchables".
The policy, which was adopted after India gained independence from British rule in 1947, was designed to end centuries of social discrimination during which Dalits suffered appalling prejudice and were permitted to undertake only the most menial tasks, such as sweeping streets and cleaning toilets.
In recent years, the system has stirred growing resentment among middle-class, educated Indians, many of whom feel they have been excluded from jobs despite being better qualified than many of the Dalits and other low-caste groups who have benefited.
Just as with race-based affirmative action in the US, the policy has been criticised as anti-meritocratic, leaving many young Indians from higher castes frustrated and disillusioned.
In a country where caste prejudice persists and remains a highly controversial issue, the film has provoked a furious backlash. Huge demonstrations have been held from Rajasthan to Mumbai, where the house of the film's director, Prakash Jha, was vandalised.
In India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, as well as in Andra Pradesh and Punjab, the film has been banned.
Last night , Dr Udit Raj, president of the Indian Justice Party which represents India's estimated 166 million Dalit, called for further "massive protests" against Aarakshan, which he said "goes against the social fabric of India".
He told The Times: "We cannot allow the screening of this kind of negative and inaccurate film. India needs reservation. It is an inclusive policy which has strengthened the nation."
P.L. Punia, the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes said the film was "loaded with anti-Dalit and anti-reservation dialogue". But in an interview with The Times, Mr Jha strongly rejected the claims and was yesterday mounting an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the ban.
"Caste feeling runs very deep in this country," he said. "We felt that these were social issues that needed to be debated ... This film should be a cathartic experience for India, but we never expected this level of opposition."
He denied that the film, which depicts an idealistic teacher who turns his school into one of the best in India while keeping tuition free, was opposed to affirmative action and said it was simply an honest depiction of the education system, which is underfunded.
Security around Amitabh Bachchan and his co-star Saif Ali Khan has been stepped up.
The word Dalit in Sanskrit means broken people. Historically, Dalits have been forced into occupations considered ritually impure by the Hindu faith. These include leatherwork, butchering, and removal of waste.
Engaging in these activities was considered to be polluting to the individual, and this pollution was also considered contagious. Consequently, Dalits were often segregated from other castes and not allowed to live in the same villages or enter Hindu temples or schools.
Widespread caste-based discrimination persists although there are signs of greater social mobility in some cities and specific areas of the economy, such as the IT industry.
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