The War Within: Why India's Internal Caste Violence Demands the Same Urgency as Cross-Border Terror

New Delhi- India celebrates its strength on the global stage—with surgical strikes, air raids across borders, and billion-dollar defence deals. But behind the fortress of nationalism lies an inconvenient truth: India is failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens from systemic violence within its own borders.

While the spotlight remains fixed on cross-border threats from Pakistan, Dalits and Adivasis face violence, humiliation, and death every day, often at the hands of their fellow citizens—with police and politicians looking away.

The Data India Can’t Ignore

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022:

• 50,900 cases of atrocities were reported against Scheduled Castes (SCs).

• 9,900 cases of violence were reported against Scheduled Tribes (STs).

• This equals 168 caste crimes every day.

• 13 Dalit women are raped every week on average.

• Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 25.8% of all crimes against Dalits.

Despite these numbers, no emergency measures have been declared, no deployment of central forces authorized, and no political party has made this a national priority.

By contrast, the 2016 Uri attack, which killed 19 soldiers, triggered a surgical strike within days. The Pulwama attack (2019), which claimed 40 CRPF lives, led to airstrikes in Balakot and international diplomatic escalation.

Meanwhile, 50,000+ caste crimes annually evoke silence, procedural delays, and token condemnation.

Justice Denied: A System Designed to Delay

• Conviction rate for crimes against SCs: 34.5%

• For STs: 28.6%

• In comparison, murder cases across India have an average conviction rate of 55.2% (NCRB 2022).

This wide gap reveals one thing: the criminal justice system is failing SCs and STs.
Delay in FIRs, police collusion with dominant castes, intimidation of victims, and political interference are common.

Many survivors abandon their pursuit of justice due to fear, poverty, or retaliation.

Crisis Zones Without a Crisis Response

The Ministry of Home Affairs maintains a list of “Left-Wing Extremism Affected Districts” and deploys forces accordingly.

Why can’t we do the same for atrocity-prone districts like:

• Hathras (Uttar Pradesh) – site of the 2020 Dalit gang rape and cover-up

• Khairlanji (Maharashtra) – where a Dalit family was lynched and raped in 2006

• Mirchpur (Haryana) – multiple Dalit houses torched in caste retaliation

These are not isolated events. According to a 2023 RTI reply, over 110 districts report more than 100 caste crimes per year.
Yet, not a single state has requested deployment of central forces or special protection squads.

This Is Not Law & Order—It’s Domestic Terrorism

Let us be clear: these are not mere law and order issues.
When:

• an entire Dalit village is burned in caste revenge,

• girls are raped and hung from trees with impunity,

• police officers protect perpetrators instead of victims,

...this meets the criteria of domestic terror. And terror must be met with national resolve

Time to Deploy the State’s Might—Inside the State

We recommend the Government of India to act now with a five-point national response:

1. Identify Atrocity Hotspots: Use NCRB + district-level data to tag 100+ districts for central protection.

2. Deploy Central Forces (RAF/CRPF): Just as in riot-prone or insurgency-hit areas.

3. Set Up Fast-Track Courts With Central Oversight: Mandate 6-month resolution timelines.

4. National Commission Empowerment: Give the SC/ST Commissions powers equivalent to NHRC and ED to initiate action.

5. Annual ‘Internal Justice Index’: Like the Global Hunger Index, track state performance in protecting SC/ST rights.

True National Security Begins at Home

We cannot call ourselves a secure nation if we fail to secure dignity, land, and life for 300 million citizens.

• Pakistan may challenge our sovereignty.

• But caste violence challenges our soul.

National security is not just about borders. It is about building a republic where no child is born into fear, no woman raped for her caste, and no family burned for walking on a "dominant caste" road.

The author is a finance graduate and certified researcher.