MAMTA SHIVA and Amrish Chotala, two young Dalit activists in Saharanpur, sit at a tea shop on the city's Court Road and discuss one of Dr. BR Ambedkar's famous treatises Annihilation of Caste - a literature they have read at least four times each. For them, the works of "Baba Saheb" form the lynchpin on which they base their lives.

"I am a Dalit and a follower of Baba Saheb. I read and understood why Baba Saheb had to leave the Hindu fold and embrace Buddhism. All Dalit icons after him - Manyavar Kanshi Ram, Behen Mayawati, Radhika Vemula - left Hinduism. That is why I follow the path shown by Buddha," said Shiva.

Chotala nodded in agreement and said, "Right-wing forces try to tell us that Muslims are our enemies. But we do not think so. Muslims never deny us entry into mosques but Brahmins stop us from entering temples. So who is our real enemy?"

This outspoken nature is not limited to these two activists. In Saharanpur, the Dalit is angry but unafraid. "Baba Saheb said that he who suffers injustice is a bigger sinner than he who inflicts it. In Saharanpur, that is the difference between the 21st Century Dalit and his 19th Century ancestor. We are enlightened, educated, unafraid and angry," said Shiva, pointing a finger to herself.

After more than a month of on-again-off-again violence, the anger among young activists is palpable. According to Chetan Kumar Chanyane, 53-year-old state vice-president of Rashtriya Dalit Mahasabha, there is a pattern to nearly every communal riot in Western UP. "The upper-caste will start the riot, but back off once the fighting begins. Valmikis are always made to clash with Muslims and do the upper-castes' dirty work. There is a reason why Saharanpur has seen caste clashes. Here, Valmikis refuse to become cannon fodder for the upper-castes. Muslims are not our enemies. Why should we die fighting them?"

"Right-wing forces try to tell us that Muslims are our enemies. But we do not think so. Muslims never deny us entry into mosques but Brahmins stop us from entering temples. So who is our real enemy?" "Right-wing forces try to tell us that Muslims are our enemies. But we do not think so. Muslims never deny us entry into mosques but Brahmins stop us from entering temples. So who is our real enemy?" — Chetan Kumar Chanyane

Saharanpur district is nestled in the north-most corner of Uttar Pradesh, with Uttarakhand to its North and Haryana to its West. Over 21% of Saharanpur's population falls in the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. According to academic and SP leader Sudhir Panwar, Dalits in Saharanpur realized the power of the ballot early on. "Saharanpur has given more Dalit MLAs and MPs than almost any other district in Western UP. They were not content with the old-style patron-client relationship. Dalits of Saharanpur have gone on to represent their constituents in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and even in the state Cabinet. This made them realize that they were equals and they shouldn't settle for less. Mayawati, when in power, promoted many leaders from Saharanpur and gave the district priority in terms of electricity and other basic services."

Saharanpur has given more Dalit MLAs and MPs than almost any other district in western UP. Saharanpur has given more Dalit MLAs and MPs than almost any other district in western UP.

Chanyane added that Dalits in Saharanpur district take pride in sending their children to schools and colleges. "Most Dalits in the villages have finished school and most in the city have university degrees. With that comes a higher degree of enlightenment." Shiva and Chotala, both with their MA degrees, are living illustrations of Chanyane's point. Even when it comes to activism, the Dalits of Saharanpur refuse to be meek. Last year, a group of Dalit residents in Malipur village were concerned about a flourishing liquor mafia in their vicinity. Eventually, 200 Dalit villagers, 80 of them women, raided liquor vends in the forest. They claim to have recovered 50 litres of illicit liquor.

Usand village in the district was on the edge after two residents had died in alleged police atrocities. Refusing to back down, Dalits took to streets invoking the Una floggings. They raised the slogan, "Yeh UP hai, Gujarat Nahi" (This is UP, not Gujarat). The strength of their protest forced the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) to take note of this incident.