Dalit Panthers’ Ideology: A Critical Study

Abstract

The Dalit Panther Movement, which emerged in Maharashtra in 1972, was a radical response to increasing caste atrocities, social humiliation, systemic oppression, and the indifference of state institutions towards Dalit suffering. Unlike traditional political organizations, the Panthers did not begin with a ready-made ideological framework. Instead, their ideology evolved organically through protest, literature, speeches, interviews, and ultimately through their manifesto. Deeply inspired by the radical thought of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Marxist ideas, and global liberation movements such as the Black Panther Party, the Dalit Panthers articulated a powerful protest ideology. They rejected Hindu orthodoxy, critiqued caste hierarchy, challenged state apathy, exposed the failures of the Republican Party of India (RPI), and demanded a total socio-economic, political, and Cultural Revolution. This paper critically examines the ideological foundations, political strategies, social critique, and revolutionary objectives of the Dalit Panthers based on primary and secondary sources.