Abstract

While religion and Kashmiri Muslim identity dominate public discourse, caste, class, and gender are rarely brought
up when discussing Jammu and Kashmir. The article attempts to understand the status of Dalits in Jammu and
Kashmir society-polity in general and Valmikis caste status in particular in the region. As we know that, there are
substantial gaps between Schedule Castes and other caste groups in education, jobs, access to resources not only in
Jammu and Kashmir but also across India. Prof Ashwini Deshpande argued that, “the Jati system should be understood
as a system of graded inequality, not a dichotomous hierarchy between ‘upper castes’ and ‘lower castes’ (Deshpande
2008: 155)”. Any changes in society and significance of the social mobility and the development of under-privileged
community entails the demolition of old social structure, which was used as an instrument of exploitation and
subordination of the marginalized sections. This paper will evaluate the factors in changing status of SCs in Jammu
region, particularly the Valmikis caste in the last 75 years. Article 370 meant different for different people in the
erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, now a Union territory after the Abrogation of contentious article on 5th
August, 2019. Almost 70 years under article 370, the lives of Dalit community in general and the Valimikis in
particular, were the denial of basic rights enshrined in the constitution of India, in the garb of special provision of
article 370 and 35A. The paper delves into systemic marginalization of the Valmiki community in the erstwhile
state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In fact, a tiny number of individuals showed up in support of one unanticipated outcome that would result from the
abrogation of article 370, which is more rights for Dalits. Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and
other Dalit leaders have stated that the Jammu and Kashmir will see greater equality and opportunity if these
Articles are repealed.