Immanuvel Sekaran

The British government on their part grouped the untouchables into one category, the depressed class. The British took measures to ameliorate their condition. During the British rule, each European supported four Adi – Dravida families. In the dispatch of 5 May 1854, the Court of Directors laid down the principle “that no boy be refused admission to a government college or school merely on the ground of caste”. The Secretary of State for India again stressed the principle in 1863. In 1893, the Government decided to take steps to improve their condition. The British made continuous attempts to find out more about th untouchables. Special officers were appointed to study their economic conditions in selected districts. In 1894, the British administration issued a government order to provide land and education for the untouchables. During the period 1919 - 32 a series of conflicts broke out between the untouchables and other castes regarding their respective social power and status. In the first conflict, the untouchables refused to accept the higher castes imposition of economic and social obligations in the name labor unity. The second conflict was related to the Brahman’s imputation of inferiority to the non – Brahman castes. The third occurred when the lower non – Brahman castes tried to use their caste superiority over the untouchables