Saroj Meshram was a youth activist and member of the Dalit Panthers, the revolutionary anti-caste organization formed in Bombay in 1972 by poets and activists including Namdeo Dhasal, J.V. Pawar, and Raja Dhale. At seventeen years old in 1973, Meshram was part of the Nagpur chapter's mobilization against caste oppression, working under the leadership of Prakash Ramteke and Bhimrao Naik.
On the evening of June 5, 1973, Meshram participated in a historic march organized by the Nagpur Dalit Panthers. Nearly a hundred young activists gathered around Indora Chowk before marching through the city to the RSS headquarters in the Mahal locality. Reflecting on that night, Meshram recalled: "It was a sweltering night, but the heat did not stifle our excitement." The march was mounted in response to the death of RSS leader M.S. Golwalkar, whom the Panthers viewed as the foremost advocate of the caste system. When asked about celebrating Golwalkar's death, Meshram articulated the Panthers' principled stance: "We don't celebrate death. But Golwalkar was different. He was the foremost advocate of chaturvarnya"—the fourfold caste hierarchy that Ambedkarite Dalit activists sought to annihilate.
Sources
- 1.How the Dalit Panthers forced the RSS into changing its language on caste — The Caravan MagazineCaravan Magazine article featuring Saroj Meshram's testimony about the June 5, 1973 Nagpur march
- 2.Dalit Panthers — WikipediaWikipedia article on Dalit Panthers movement, formation, and activities