The Dalits of India were on the bottom of the
Indian caste system for centuries. In
Hinduism, there are
four varnas (classes) and in that system, the Dalits are below the lowest of them. Dalits were considered polluted and this pollution was considered contagious. They worked in jobs which were considered ritually impure, they were not allowed to enter Hindu temples, they had to draw their water from separate wells and they had to live outside of villages. but despite the laws, discrimination continues today. In the early 20th century, one of the first Dalits to earn a college education was
B. R. Ambedkar. earned a master's degree from
Columbia University in the United States and then earned a doctoral degree from the
London School of Economics. The
British Raj made education more available to Untouchables but discrimination continued. Ambedkar established hostels, schools and colleges which were open to Dalits. As part of the movement surrounding the independence of India from Britain, major social changes took place and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was appointed to lead the committee to draft a new
constitution for India. He proposed, and the new country passed into law, a wide range of civil liberties, including the legal abolition of untouchability. Many Indian universities were renamed after people like Ambedkar and those changes were welcomed with few arguments. The Dalit community in the state of Maharashtra proposed to rename Marathwada University in honour of Ambedkar. The chief minister, the legislature, and university leaders approved the change, but a storm of opposition arose among Hindus. On 27 July 1978 riots began and the name change was stopped. and at least 27 were killed, The
Namantar Andolan (Name Change Movement) continued for 16 years before the university was renamed
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. ==Development==