A generational Dalit community in W.B. waits for God and faces backlash for breaking barriers

• On March 12, Santwana Das, 45, climbed the 16 marble steps of the Shiva temple at Gidhagram, marking the fall of generations of institutionalized caste-based segregation.
• The entry into the temple marked the beginning of a new era of religious freedom for Dalits, marking the end of centuries of caste discrimination across India.
• The entry of Dalits into the temple marked a significant moment in the community’s struggle against caste discrimination.
• The community, including Daspara, a locality segregated by caste and economics, has been facing daily casteism since they appealed to enter the temple.
• The community has been denied entry into the temple on Sivaratri, a festival honoring Shiva, despite their appeal.
• The district administration passed a resolution on February 28, stating that caste and religious discrimination are illegal in India, and everyone has the same rights.
• The community has been turned away from buying groceries from nearby stores and having to walk miles to find basic supplies.
• The SDO, who has been talking with people from both Daspara and Gidhagram, has conducted multiple rounds of meetings to reason with the villagers and come to a reasonable solution.
• The developments at Gidhagram have brought to the fore questions of caste in West Bengal, with Ranajit Sur, general secretary of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, stating that caste exists in a very crude form in West Bengal.