Although I have no evidence for this, all that I see while researching this leads me to that suspicion. Keep the lower classes low, from realizing that they are all being subjugated. Pit them against one another, creating hierarchical conflicts for social dominance and access to resources. Granted, there is one hell of a lot more to India's mess than this hypothesis, but still it is something for them to think about. Another article detailing the plight of the Dalits.
Pictures are worth a thousand words, so stop by and take a look.
Violence Against Untouchables Growing, Says Report This press release is a good summary of the Human Rights Watch report, Broken People . This is another biography of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the Dalit leader who fought tooth and nail for his people's liberation from the Caste system, although through pacifist methods apparently, and by urging a change in faith. Hmmm, the untouchables are still having trouble today, and pacifism hasn't gotten us anywhere. Yet neither has violence. McGirk reveals what has inspired them to throw off their oppression, and fight back against the system, sometimes through peaceful means, and sometimes not so peaceful.