TOKYO, (Samaj Weekly)- On 18 October 2020, A group of Indians in Japan organized a peaceful protest to express solidarity and to demand justice for a 19 year old Indian woman belonging to the Dalit (untouchable) community who was allegedly raped and murdered by four upper caste men in the Hathras village of India’s most populous state – Uttar Pradesh.
The protest was organized by Ambedkar International Mission Japan (AIM) in collaboration with the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Association for Education, Japan (BAIAE). Representatives from AIM and BAIAE condemned the brutal rape and murder and called out the state’s complicity in allegedly protecting the perpetrators of the crime. Around 100 people gathered in front of United Nations office in Shibuya, Tokyo and utilized placards and addressed to Japanese media to register their protest. Some of their key demands were a fair and expeditious investigation of the Hathras incident, protection of the victim’s family during the trial and strict punishment to the accused.
According to AIM Japan, “The Hathras incident is as much a social failure as it is a state failure. Its roots can unequivocally be traced to India’s casteist and patriarchal social system, which affords the upper castes a divine right to dominate and desecrate the very soul and dignity of those beneath them. Dalit women are at the bottom of the caste order and hence, despite the barbaric nature of this incident, it has failed to elicit a commensurate response from India’s majority population and political class. We are outraged, saddened and deeply concerned by the casteist and patriarchal mentality responsible for this incident
and also by its institutional propagation. Through this protest we raise our voice against atrocities on women and caste-based crimes and demand swift justice in the Hathras case”.
A representative of AIM said, “The entire world stood up against apartheid in South Africa. We ask for the same global condemnation for the Indian caste system, which is the longest running apartheid in the world.”
The number of people attending the protest was limited to 100 due to Covid-19 restrictions in Japan. Some of the local Japanese too attended the protest and expressed solidarity with the Hathras case victim.
AIM Japan and BAIAE Japan members have submitted petitions to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Japan demanding fair and expeditious investigation of the Hathras incident, protection of the victim’s family during the trial and strict punishment to the accused. The Indian government must take initiatives along with the community leaders to eradicate caste, restore law and order in the State of UP and country and create a safer space for women, and provide equal opportunities to all its citizens along with additional safeguards for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Our brave daughter will be in the hearts of all NRIs. Justice shall be served!
