What Is DHRM and Why Do They Kill

[Read the latest about DHRM here]

The police inquiry about the murder of Sivaprasad in Varkala has been making good progress. It has been reasonably well established that DHRM activists in Varkala, Kollam, and Attingal were behind the attack. They made a number of arrests in relation with the murder and subsequent violence in certain parts of Varkala. In fact, it is learnt that the police have taken several suspects into custody and recorded the arrests of only a few people.

The police arrested two people yesterday in connection with the murder. They arrested K. Dasan, a native of Velliyazhakavu, Cherunniyoor, and Asokan, an advocate from Kadakkal. (The place Velliyazhakavu might ring a bell to many, as a highly popular toddy shop functions here, which is famous for its variety non-veg cuisine.) They had already nabbed seven people for the violence in Thoduvey Colony, near Varkala. The arrested people are Vishwambharan, Anil (both from Kaippatti Mukku, Attingal, where similar incidents were previously reported), Rajeev, Rajesh (both from Vadasserikkonam), Sivalal (from Thachode), Raju (from Edava), and Kumar (from Chrunniyoor).

After visiting Varkala, Attingal MLA and CPI(M) leader Anathalavattom Anandan alleged that terrorist elements had infiltrated into a Dalit organization and the organization was responsible for the murder and the incidents. He was obviously referring to DHRM.

So, What Is DHRM?

Media reports about the incidents state that DHRM is a pro-Dalit organization that was formed about one and a half years back in Ernakulam. A person known as Selvaraj is their leader. However, a quick search on the internet reveals that a pan-Indian organization with a similar name had been in existence even before that. According to a document available on the internet, the idea of such an organization was originated in 2002. The Dalit Human Right Movement (DHRM) was started as a watchdog agency: to monitor the atrocities against Dalits in India and to intervene legally against the human rights violations against Dalits. The first DHRM meeting was held at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in March 2003. Kerala was one of the 12 states in which the organization started functioning. The advisory committee of the organization was headed by Ruth Manorama, the winner of the Right To Livelihood Award in 2006.

It is not clearly established whether the pan-Indian organization that was started in Madurai is indeed the same DHRM that has been now blamed for the murder. Many believe that some extremist and terrorist elements have hijacked the leadership of the organization, at least in Kerala, and led to the present state of affairs. Police officials hint many leaders of the notorious Ayyankali Pada (the organization that attacked some government offices in Ernakulam and damaged computers and torched the files a few years back) migrated to DHRM once the government had banned Ayyankali Pada.

DHRM In Attingal


There had been rumors in the past about a fundamentalist organization spreading their gospels in Dalit colonies in various parts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. In Attingal, the organization is believed to have strong roots in Kaippatti Mukku and Varkala.

During the parliament elections, one local CPI(M) leader based at Kallambalam, became skeptical of the activities in a Dalit colony near Kallambalam. The conventional wisdom has it that Dalits are the fixed deposit of communist parties in the vote bank of Kerala. However, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has developed a strong foothold in the colonies in recent times. During the election campaigning phase, it was observed that several outsiders were camping in the colony and conducting secret meetings. The local leader had some doubts about the spread of BSP in the colony. He did some smart spy work. He bribed a colony resident and persuaded him to record the speeches made during the clandestine meetings. The colony resident promptly recorded the speeches using a mobile phone and handed it over to the leader, gladly accepting a few bottles of alcohol as bribe.

On hearing the records, the local CPI(M) leader was shocked by the inflammatory nature of the speeches. Speakers after speakers urged for the use of force against what they believe as the centuries-old injustice to Dalits by the other castes in the Hindu religion. Some of the ideas are not even suitable to be published in blogs (let alone to be printed). Suffice it to say they advocated to reciprocate everything the feudal landlords had done to their men, women, and land to the upper caste men and women of the present generation and their lands. They claimed that all the properties, lands, and agricultural income that the upper-caste people enjoy at present are the results of hard labor of their ancestors. So, according to the speeches, the Dalits too have ownership of these things. They also encouraged young Dalit romeos to plant their seeds in the upper-caste wombs.

One significant suggestion from the speakers was to shun the religious practices of the Hindus, particularly during marriages, funerals, and other personal and community ceremonies. For example, according to the Hindu custom in Kerala, the dead body of a person must be initially taken southwards, when it is carried to the place of cremation. The DHRM speakers advocate to take the dead body northwards.

In addition, the organization started to project itself as a quasi-government in many colonies. That is, they advocated the residents of the colonies to approach the organization for settling the disputes and quarrels among them – and to do away with courts or police.

Murder In Varkala

Unnoticed by many, trouble had been brewing for weeks prior to the murder of Sivaprasad. It started on the day of Chathaya Dinam celebrations. (For those who do not know, Chathaya Dinam is the birth anniversary of Sree Narayana Guru, a social reformer and one of the excellent thinkers in Kerala in the 20th century. Sadly, now he is widely considered only as the apostle of Ezhava community in Kerala). On the eve of Chathaya Dinam celebrations, the organizers of the celebrations had a quarrel with some Dalit youths near TS Canal, right in the valley of Sivagiri hills. The youths, when approached for contributions for Chathaya Dinam festivities, ridiculed the organizers and made inflammatory remarks about Sree Narayana Guru. It stopped with a minor altercation. A few days later, a statue of Sree Narayana Guru in Chavadi Mukku, near Varkala, was attacked and beheaded (statues of Narayana Guru can be found in most of the junctions near Varkala and these are considered as sacred places).

The attack on Sivaprasad too was part of the retaliation against the dominant Hindu caste in the region. They wanted to send a message to the world that Dalits are organized and are not afraid to do anything to anybody if somebody messes with them.

Why Do They Do This

Many people find it extremely difficult understand the motive behind the murder of Sivaprasad. Some even wondered that how can people kill a person who is not at all connected with their problems. To understand the reasons, one has to be aware of the simmering discontent among Dalit people. Despite the reservation and the relative prosperity, Dalits still face social stigma in Kerala. This is evident in rural areas, but the stigma is as strong, though not as visible, in the cities as well. It is expressed in snide remarks about the appearance, accent, and manners of Dalits and in the reluctance to co-operate with them in social functions and personal gatherings (this is neatly captured in a fabulous short story by Santhosh Echikkanam, titled Panthi Bhojanam).

In villages, upper-caste women rarely participate in the marriage functions of Dalits. Even those who go there usually do not take the food (a dinner is an integral part of all marriage functions here). Dalits are often derogatorily labeled with nick names "avuthul" or "K". The term "K" does not have any relation with the famous novelist Orhan Pamuk or with the name of the protagonist in his novel, Snow. In my understanding, K is an acronym for Kurava, which is a populous caste among Dalits. The upper caste people are worried about the reservation Dalits get and an attitude what they describe as arrogant. They are also worried about the lack of availability of lower-caste people for household works and agricultural labor. Most of them are not at all concerned about how Dalits think about this type of treatment.

Naturally, Dalits, especially the younger generation, cannot stomach this kind of treatment. They either challenge or quarrel with other people on such occasions or retract to a shell to avoid the happening of such instances. It is not surprising that the hatred-mongers who lead DHRM in the state at present find fertile fields for their growth in Dalit colonies in Kerala. They managed to develop a cadre-like structure and inject hatred against upper caste among the rank and file.

One has to say that the attitude of the upper caste people catalyzed the development of the organization. It must also be added that the situation of the Dalits is far better in Kerala when compared with that of North Indian states and South Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Still, Dalit community is like a volcano waiting to erupt and DHRM is a small spark.

Is There A Solution?

Many people, especially the upper caste people, ask what the Dalits want. They argue Dalits get reservation and are the beneficiaries of several government schemes and initiatives. Well, in a nutshell, what Dalits want is respect – that is, respect as human beings. However, in a society where respect is a hard-to-find commodity, the problem is unlikely to be solved.