In the last three decades or so, there have been considerable political changes in Uttar Pradesh (UP), particularly where caste is concerned. This is linked to the anti-caste movements in the state and the rise of the Bahujan Samaj Party, which is seen to address issues of Jatavs and other Scheduled Castes that had been politically marginalised. In the years since it first came to power, dalits in the city of Meerut have not witnessed the kind of brutal state aggression they did in Shergarhi after an Ambedkar statue was installed in a local park in 1994. And yet casteism and the fear of it continue to shape the everyday lives of dalits in the city. This article is based on fieldwork conducted in three neighbourhoods in Meerut city in western UP. It explores the ways Jatavs experience casteism as well as the modes of resistance and the multiple strategies employed by them to gain dignity and self-respect.
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