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In India, a Dalit couple's wedding plan highlights social tensions

usatoday.com · 688 words · saved by 1 readers

NEW DELHI – If all goes well, Sanjay Jatav will marry Sheetal in July. But armed police could become a large portion of the wedding guests. Jatav and his fiancée, Sheetal — who, like many Indians, does not use a surname — are Dalits, once known as “Untouchables,” the lowest of castes in traditional Hinduism. Jatav, 27, a lawyer and member of his village council, is intent on defying tradition and riding a horse in his marriage procession, or baraat, a ritual reserved for higher castes. His battle comes amid a broader mobilization of Dalits tired of being at the bottom of a society that still observes a caste system. Another Dalit man was murdered for a similar act of defiance. Nationwide protests April 2 over India's civil rights laws resulted in 10 deaths, scores of injuries and hundreds of arrests. Jatav took his case to court, fighting to hold the wedding the way the couple want. After months of wrangling and negotiations, an agreement was reached to let Jatav ride. The low-caste co

WORLD India Add Topic In India, an 'Untouchables' wedding highlights tensions over social change Jason Overdorf Special to USA TODAY April 22, 2018 Updated April 27, 2018, 2:35 p.m. ET NEW DELHI – If all goes well, Sanjay Jatav will marry Sheetal in July. But armed police could become a large portion of the wedding guests. Jatav and his fiancée, Sheetal — who, like many Indians, does not use a surname — are Dalits, once known as “Untouchables,” the lowest of castes in traditional Hinduism. Jatav, 27, a lawyer and member of his village council, is intent on defying tradition and riding a horse

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