24, Jun 2015

Despite cracking what is deemed one of the toughest exams in the world, or perhaps because of it, two brothers from Uttar Pradesh are battling casteist stigma in their village. Raju and Brijesh Saroj, sons of a daily wage worker Dharamraj, are among the top 500 scorers in the competitive entrance examination for the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Even though top political leaders have pledged financial support to these teenagers, they returned to their village in Rehua Lalganj, Pratapgarh, only to have stones pelted at them.
“There were five or six stones thrown at our home. We informed the police,” Raju told The Times of India. This isn’t the first time the brothers (and their family) have been mistreated by the villagers. From their drainage supply being cut off to reducing their access to the public bathroom, the family has faced plenty of stigma and harassment.