Author: Arunima Ray

Neeshu Azad, a 15-year-old Dalit girl, and her father were attacked by a group of violent men while participating in a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth movement demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. To put things in perspective, Neeshu and her father are Ambedkarites and had earlier declared their dissociation from Hinduism, openly announcing that they no longer identify as Hindus. This sparked severe outrage across social media. Historically, the rejection of Hindu social and religious structures has always provoked backlash, as in Ambedkar’s case when he renounced the religion, calling it a…