Caste Based Atrocities in India

Social stratification in India is unique and has its own peculiarities. The caste system is the basis and determining factor of social structure in India. It is the regressive social system based on the unique social economic and political and cultural status of each strata in the social hierarchy. The caste system provided the organizational basis of traditional Hindu society and in spite of many recent changes it continues to play an important role in contemporary India. The Scheduled caste and Scheduled tribes were classified as inferior and last varna to the other three varnas in an ancient social system in India. The Scheduled caste and Scheduled tribes include various caste groups which have suffered social and economic inequality since ago. They had to stay outside the village. Their discrimination is based first on their descent or birth into a specific “untouchables caste” and secondly on their traditional ‘polluting work’. the concept of pollution was attached to them and they were treated as untouchable castes. Today these untouchable castes are officially known as “Scheduled caste and Scheduled tribes”.