Caste discrimination flourishes in modern India, activists say

A group of young Indian boys, arms wrapped around each other, gathered at an invisible line in the dirt, refusing to cross. "We will get polluted," one boy shouted as they peered into a section of the village reserved for Dalits, or the "untouchable" caste.

The scene opens a new documentary released, April 19, that examines India's outlawed, but persistent, caste system.

The film, "India Untouched: Stories of a People Apart," documents the lives of some of the country's estimated 160 million Dalits, the people on the lowest rung of the complex Hindu social order who for centuries have suffered severe discrimination.

The film, made at the request of several Dalits' rights groups in India, shows that the persecution continues, even as India emerges as a new economic power, Dalit activists said.

"The film is dedicated to all those who deny the existence of untouchability," said director Stalin K., who refuses to use his last name because it signals his caste.

"I hope the film invokes an anger in the audience. I think I have undeniable proof in these 110 minutes," he said.

Stalin said his film also shows that the practice is not just limited to the Hindu community, in which it is rooted.

"No group was spared," Stalin said, pointing to the film's display of caste discrimination by Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities.

Caste–based discrimination was outlawed by India's constitution in 1950. Yet despite decades of affirmative action programs and notable individual Dalits who have risen to positions of power, including a former president and the current chief justice, discrimination remains rife.

The documentary brought stark examples.

One group of Dalits gathered around a camera described how they are employed to remove dead bodies from railroad tracks. Others discussed being forced to walk barefoot in upper–caste neighborhoods, being ignored at the backs of classrooms, and fearing physical repercussions for breaking the rules.

A Human Rights Watch report in February found that every day Dalits are beaten and raped due to their low status.

Martin Macwan, founder of Dalit rights organization Navsarjan which backed the film, said the common perception of India in Western nations is of an economically emerging country which has ended the caste system, but the film shows that "the two can exist together."

The film will be screened in India before being released on DVD in May, Stalin said.