a thread about the recent happenings in india and why we are trending the hashtag #DalitLivesMatter

trigger warnings: sexual assault , violence , police brutality

a 19 year old dalit girl from hathras, uttar pradesh was brutally raped by four upper caste men. her spine was fractured and her tongue cut off. she succumbed to her injuries in safdarjung, delhi.

her body was cremated by the police, who barricaded the family inside their home and burnt the body without letting anyone know. the victim's mother kept crying and begging for them to let her take her daughter's body home, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

there was absolutely zero media coverage of the case until widespread social media unrest, and even now it is being treated as secondary news, pointless headlines about bollywood stars and their drugs scandals being given more importance.

why is this a caste issue? dalits are considered to be lower caste people or "untouchables" according to the caste system, which makes them subject to discrimination and oppression by upper castes. dalit women have to face double the oppression, due to their caste AND gender.

politicians and well known people in respectable positions have given disgusting statements on the matter. markandey katju, a former supreme court judge, claimed that sex is a "natural urge of man" and that rape cases are increasing due to rise in unemployment.

nationwide protests have broke out to get justice, and the way the police is handling them is appalling. women protesting against rape in delhi were dragged and hit by the police. peaceful protests are being turned violent by the police.

what can you do to help? sign this petition and quote/reply with #DalitLivesMatter https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-hathras-victim?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_24970759_en-GB%3A2&recruiter=1096895029&recruited_by_id=ce021760-a184-11ea-a63f-e7ae774584de&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=68b931aa1bb940a7a04a56c2ea57ae11

a thread of more petitions and resources #DalitLivesMatter https://twitter.com/babi3dyke/status/1311542864120168448?s=19

here's a carrd that you can go through to educate yourself on dalit people and their struggles #DalitLivesMatter https://dalitlivesmatter.carrd.co/