Dalits of Jammu and Kashmir: The Case Study of Valmikis Community in the Jammu Region

                                                                 Abstract

While religion and Kashmiri Muslim identity dominate public discourse, caste, class, and gender are rarely brought up when discussing Jammu and Kashmir. The article attempts to understand the status of Dalits in Jammu and Kashmir society-polity in general and Valmikis caste status in particular in the region. As we know that, there are substantial gaps between Schedule Castes and other caste groups in education, jobs, access to resources not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also across India. Prof Ashwini Deshpande argued that, “the Jati system should be understood as a system of graded inequality, not a dichotomous hierarchy between ‘upper castes’ and ‘lower castes’ (Deshpande 2008: 155)”. Any changes in society and significance of the social mobility and the development of under-privileged community entails the demolition of old social structure, which was used as an instrument of exploitation and subordination of the marginalized sections. This paper will evaluate the factors in changing status of SCs in Jammu region, particularly the Valmikis caste in the last 75 years. Article 370 meant different for different people in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, now a Union territory after the Abrogation of contentious article on 5^th August, 2019. Almost 70 years under article 370, the lives of Dalit community in general and the Valimikis in particular, were the denial of basic rights enshrined in the constitution of India, in the garb of special provision of article 370 and 35A. The paper delves into systemic marginalization of the Valmiki community in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. 

In fact, a tiny number of individuals showed up in support of one unanticipated outcome that would result from the abrogation of article 370, which is more rights for Dalits. Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and other Dalit leaders have stated that the Jammu and Kashmir will see greater equality and opportunity if these Articles are repealed.