India will be celebrating Republic Day tomorrow and I am pondering over the questions whether the spirit of Republic is maintained in India? One meaning of Republic is “a group with a certain equality between its members.” Is there any equality among the different communities? Or is there justice for everyone?

How can we celebrate without giving justice and equal opportunities to everyone? How can we forget that on the eve of Republic Day in 1999, an upper caste terrorist organisation, Ranvir Sena, killed 23 innocent Dalits in Jehanabad (Bihar) and even after 17 years no justice has been delivered, not even a single person was punished. In Jehanadad (Bihar) Dalit killings by Ranvir Sena and of the dead, five were women and seven children – the youngest being six months old! Just stop & think of it, butchering as young as 6 months old, what was his crime? Just because he was Dalit? We won’t stop raising our voice till justice isn’t delivered to the victims of Jehanabad (Bihar). Upper castes killed Dalits!

I want to ask again, who massacred those 23 innocent people? When will justice be delivered to them and their grieving families? This is not the only case where justice was denied to Dalits, there was no justice in case of Khairlangi killings, Bathani Tola Dalit killings by Ranvir Sena, no justice in Haibaspur Dalit killings etc.

Will justice be delivered to Rohith Vemula? Why only Dalits have to raise their voice against injustice? Isn’t it a duty of each and every person in India to rise above the differences and raise their voice for justice?

What kind of Republic are we celebrating?

Is this the kind of Republic what Dr. Ambedkar has envisioned, where there is no justice for the Dalits and minority communities? Isn’t India ashamed?

Is there any justice for Dalits in Brahmin India?

Is there any justice for Dalits and minority communities in Brahmin India? In courts around 80% judges are Brahmin, can we expect justice? Brahmins think they can just kill us, kill justice and Dalits will forget anyways. Not any more! Enough is enough! We will rise and fight!

Come together and build a Republic, where everyone has equal rights and equal opportunities.