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The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, was photographed in India with a poster that indignant Hindus
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has been accused of inciting hatred against India's highest caste after being photographed holding a poster declaring "crushing the Brahmanic Patriarchate" during a visit to the country.
Dorsey was photographed holding the offending poster alongside six women who participated in a discussion last week about Twitter's role in India, where caste is a critical issue and grievances can become violent.
The reference to the Brahmins, the traditional priestly class that sits at the top of the rigid caste hierarchy, outraged some Hindus when the photo was put online Sunday night.
"You realize that this image can potentially provoke riots within a community as several states go to parliamentary elections in India," tweeted Indian policeman Sandeep Mittal.
"Even at the present time, no excuse is offered.It is in fact an appropriate case for the registration of a criminal case for destabilization attempt (sic) of the nation, "he added.
Twitter defended Dorsey in comments posted Monday on his official page in India, claiming that a lower caste activist had "shared his personal experiences and offered a poster to Jack".
"This is not a statement from Twitter or our CEO, but a tangible reflection of our company's efforts to see, hear and understand every aspect of the important public conversations that unfold around our service around the world." said the company.
Another user, tweeting under the name of Prassant DeshPehle (country first), wrote: "Shame on you @jack.Hate against any community or any group should be condemned.It is unfair to hate any community or group."
But others praised Twitter's leader for talking about the marginalized low-caste Dali communities and women in India, a conservative 1.25 billion people.
"The lynching and oppression of the Dalits, incidents of which we are aware every day, do not cause as much outrage on Twitter as Jack Dorsey holding a sign saying" End Brahmin Patriarchy, "wrote the newspaper. User Ranjona Banerji.
Audrey Truschke, South Asian historian, said: "My Twitter feed is filled with hyperventilant elite men on Twitter's CEO, @jack, holding a sign that calls for gender-based discrimination and caste in India. "
"Caste and sexism are real and virulent in modern India, if you want to be angry about something, this is the reality," she added.
Caste politics can explode in India, where a secular hierarchy divides Hindus into classes beginning with Brahmins and ending with Dalits, formerly called "untouchables."
Although the system has been officially abolished, it still prevails in rural areas and determines where people live, who they marry and what kind of work they do.
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