When the oppressed fail to understand the oppressed
VB Editorial | August 18, 2025
“Who else but the ones who have suffered can truly understand the pain of the suffering?” asked Akka Mahadevi in one of her vachanas. Her words carry a timeless truth: only those who have tasted pain can truly recognise it in others. Gandhi and Ambedkar are often compared through this lens. Gandhi, despite his compassion, could never feel the sting of untouchability the way Ambedkar did, because Ambedkar lived it, carried it, and fought it from within.
But the same truth now shows us its bitter side. The demand for internal reservation within the Scheduled Castes has revealed an uncomfortable reality, sometimes, even the oppressed fail to understand the pain of the oppressed.
In Karnataka, instead of building a united struggle for meaningful implementation of reservation, Dalit communities are fighting each other. Suspicion and mistrust are being fuelled. Instead of seeing the real adversaries, Dalits are searching for enemies within. In this, the upper castes have already won half the battle. By making Dalits clash among themselves in the name of reservation, they have diverted attention away from the real fight, the fight against the caste system itself.
And what has become of reservation today? Across the country, dominant castes that already enjoy wealth and power now demand their share of it. The so-called “poor” among the upper castes managed to secure 10% reservation for themselves, without waging any long struggle, without facing the humiliation that Dalits endured for centuries. This single act has weakened the very spirit of reservation. It is like handing the keys of the henhouse to the fox. What chance then do the hens have? That is exactly the situation Dalits find themselves in.
Upper-caste politics has grown shrewder. Knowing that reservation cannot be scrapped openly, the strategy now is to dilute it step by step. And it is working. Dominant castes keep inching into the fold of reservation, cornering opportunities. Meanwhile, Dalits despite having reservation on paper, remain underrepresented in the judiciary, in the executive, and across positions of real power.
The Madiga community complains that the Holeyas take more than their share. It may be true that Holeyas got relatively more benefits. But the larger question is being ignored: how much has reservation as a whole really transformed even the Holeyas’ lives? How many educated Dalit youth today, despite having degrees, are still unemployed? These questions cut deeper than internal rivalries.
When the upper castes secured their 10% quota, Madigas and Holeyas should have stood shoulder to shoulder and protested. But no such united struggle came. Protests, if any, were scattered, symbolic. Meanwhile, the Modi government is pushing privatisation year after year. With fewer government jobs left, reservation itself is losing meaning. If it is to survive, it must extend into the private sector. Yet, no serious mass movement has been waged for this demand.
During the announcement of internal reservation, the Supreme Court revived the “creamy layer” debate. But why is it that only the cream of the Dalit pot is visible to our judiciary? When it is clear who is snatching away their share of reservation, is it not the greatest irony that Dalits are now dividing themselves into left and right factions, searching for enemies within? Madigas paint Holeyas as oppressors; Holeyas see Madigas as rivals. But do Dalit leaders really not know who has truly grabbed their rights? Or are they being dangled as mere bait, fish caught in the nets of upper-caste political strategies?
After Justice Nagamohan Das submitted his report, insecurities deepened further. Holeya leaders expressed fear that their community would face injustice, sparking anxiety within Madiga groups. Instead of calming these fears with facts, many leaders fanned them, acting less like protectors of their people and more like pawns of upper-caste politics. If Dalits are split in two and internal reservation is pushed through, the results will not strengthen them. It will weaken them. Socially, Dalits will be pushed to the margins. Politically, their representation will shrink. And that political shrinking will bring harsher consequences for their social and economic future.
Akka Mahadevi’s words remind us that those who have lived through pain must be the first to embrace others’ pain as their own. But today, Dalits in Karnataka risk forgetting this wisdom. By allowing division, they risk falling into the very trap set by the caste system itself.
The time has come to see clearly who the real adversary is. Dalits must stop mistaking each other for enemies. They must unite with their grassroots brethren, not fight them. Otherwise, history will record this moment as a tragedy: when the oppressed failed to understand the oppressed.
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Grok obscene AI content: X submits response, IT Ministry examining it, say sources
New Delhi (PTI): The IT Ministry is examining the response and submissions made by X following a government directive to crack down on misuse of artificial intelligence chatbot Grok by users for the creation of sexualised and obscene images of women and minors, sources said.
X had been given extended time until Wednesday, 5 PM to submit a detailed Action Taken Report to the ministry, after a stern warning was issued to the Elon Musk-led social media platform over indecent and sexually-explicit content being generated through misuse of AI-based services like 'Grok' and other tools.
Sources told PTI that X has submitted their response, and it is under examination.
The details of X's submission were, however, not immediately known.
On Sunday, X's 'Safety' handle said it takes action against illegal content on its platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.
"Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," X had said, reiterating the stance taken by Musk on illegal content.
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On January 2, the IT Ministry pulled up X and directed it to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by Grok (X's built-in artificial intelligence interface) or face action under the law.
In the directive on Friday, the ministry asked the US-based social media firm to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) within 72 hours, spelling out specific technical and organisational measures adopted or proposed in relation to the Grok application; the role and oversight exercised by the Chief Compliance Officer; actions taken against offending content, users and accounts; as well as mechanisms to ensure compliance with the mandatory reporting requirement under Indian laws.
The IT Ministry, in the ultimatum issued, noted that Grok AI, developed by X and integrated on the platform, is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in a derogatory or vulgar manner.
"Importantly, this is not limited to creation of fake accounts but also targets women who host or publish their images or videos, through prompts, image manipulation and synthetic outputs," the ministry said, asserting that such conduct reflects a serious failure of platform-level safeguards and enforcement mechanisms, and amounts to gross misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in violation of stipulated laws.
The government made it clear to X that compliance with the IT Act and rules is not optional, and that the statutory exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act (which deals with safe harbour and immunity from liability for online intermediaries) are conditional upon strict observance of due diligence obligations.
"Accordingly, you are advised to strictly desist from the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content on your platform that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law...," the ministry said.
The government warned X in clear terms that any failure to observe due diligence obligations shall result in the loss of the exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act, and that the platform will also be liable for consequential action under other laws, including the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It asked X to enforce user terms of service and AI usage restrictions, including ensuring strong deterrent measures such as suspension, termination and other enforcement actions against violating users and accounts.
X has also been asked to remove or disable access "without delay" to all content already generated or disseminated in violation of applicable laws, in strict compliance with the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021, without, as such, vitiating the evidence.
Besides India, the platform has drawn flak in the UK and Malaysia too. Ofcom, the UK's independent communications regulator, in a recent social media post, said: "We are aware of serious concerns raised about a feature on Grok on X that produces undressed images of people and sexualised images of children".
"We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK. Based on their response, we will undertake a swift assessment to determine whether there are potential compliance issues that warrant investigation," Ofcom said.
