Dalit sanitation worker attempts suicide after caste abuse in India
Woman accused local official of forcing Dalit workers to drink from separate cups and making her carry footwear by hand, practices rooted in caste notions of “untouchability”
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Dalit sanitation worker in southern India has attempted suicide after alleging years of caste-based humiliation at her government workplace, including being forced to use separate drinking cups and carry a senior official’s footwear because she belonged to a community historically treated as “untouchable.”
The 37-year-old woman, identified as Sasikala, had worked as a sanitation worker for eight years in Kambur village in Tamil Nadu state and had recently complained to senior district authorities about alleged caste discrimination and threats.
According to The Times of India, Sasikala was found vomiting outside her home Sunday and rushed to a government hospital, where doctors determined that she had consumed pesticide. She remained in critical condition.
Her husband, T. Prakash, accused the local village council secretary of discriminating against Dalit sanitation workers, including maintaining separate drinking utensils for them.
He said Dalit employees were prohibited from using metal tumblers shared by other workers when drinking tea and were instead required to use disposable cups.
The alleged practice evokes one of the most enduring manifestations of untouchability in India — segregating eating and drinking utensils to prevent members of dominant castes from sharing vessels with Dalits.
Prakash alleged that his wife was also assigned work according to her caste and subjected to derogatory remarks. On some occasions, he said, Sasikala was made to carry the village council secretary’s slippers in her hands specifically because she was Dalit.
Footwear has particular significance in caste discrimination because Dalits were historically assigned work considered “polluting” under the Hindu caste hierarchy, including handling human waste, animal carcasses and other objects regarded as impure.
Sasikala had previously petitioned Madurai district’s top administrative official seeking action over the alleged discrimination.
Her husband said the harassment intensified after she complained about her treatment and other issues involving the administration of the village council. He alleged that people associated with the official repeatedly threatened the family and pressured Sasikala to withdraw a police complaint.
In her petition, Sasikala said she had previously approached local authorities and police but alleged that she and another worker who supported her subsequently faced further threats and targeting.
India formally abolished “untouchability” when its Constitution came into force in 1950, and caste-based discrimination and atrocities against Dalits are punishable under specific laws.
Yet discriminatory practices remain widespread, particularly in rural India, where Dalits can still face segregation involving food, water, temples, housing and employment.
The allegations are especially significant because Sasikala works in sanitation, an occupation disproportionately performed by Dalits because of centuries-old caste practices that relegated communities considered “untouchable” to jobs involving human waste and other forms of stigmatized labor.
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