Calls to tackle caste-based discrimination in US gather steam

Dalit rights groups call for legal protections as high-profile cases at a Hindu temple in New Jersey and a major tech firm in California spur a reckoning.

San Francisco, California, the United States — Civil rights organisations and Dalit rights groups are adding urgency to their calls to end caste-based discrimination in the US after incidents in California and New Jersey have thrust the issue into the spotlight. Dalits, who were formally referred to as “untouchables”, occupy the lowest position in the complex Hindu caste system and have historically faced discrimination and violence at the hands of members of other castes in India and other parts of South Asia. Advocates say this discrimination has unfortunately migrated to the US along with workers from the region and is now running rampant in several US industries.