Dalit anger seems to be on the boil. Suddenly there is a rash of violent protests across the country. What is the trigger? What are the reasons for Dalit anger to cross the tipping point now when they are steadily gaining political clout?

While there is bound to be a complex combination of factors for a category of people to vent their ire violently, a study of Dalit education patterns seen against their actual socio-economic standing provides significant pointers to what might have heightened a sense of frustration.

Here are some telling figures. In 1961 barely 10 per cent of India’s 64.4 million scheduled caste (SC) population could read and write. By 2001, 45 per cent of SCs were literate, a 4.5 times growth in 40 years. In the same period, for the population as a whole, literacy went up from 24.5 per cent to about 54 per cent - just over two times.

Among Dalit women, the spread of literacy was even more remarkable - about ten-fold - in this period, while for Indian women as a whole, it grew about three times. There is an obvious story in these figures: Dalits have been looking at education to break out of the oppressive mould and find a way for upward social mobility, hence the focus on education. And this effort has been relentless as it ahs been going on for the 40 years.

Now look at some other figures relating to Dalits’ economic status. As many as 36 per cent of Dalits in rural areas and 38 per cent in urban areas are below the poverty line. Against this, 23 per cent of rural India as a whole and 27 per cent of urban India are below the poverty line.

Now look at these figures. About 27 per cent of Dalits gets work for less than six months a year, compared to about 20 per cent among the non-SC/ST population. Over 45 per cent of Dalits are landless agricultural workers, while among the non SC/ST population only 20 per cent are landless workers.

In short, despite their determined effort to secure education for bettering their lot, Dalits do not seem to be making much headway. It seems there is no escaping their misery. In turn, this could be sufficient reason for an increased sense of frustration among Dalits finding expression in periodic anger.

In fact, the surge for literacy among Dalits would have looked still more remarkable had some parts of the country, like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, not dragged down the Dalit national average.

Uttar Pradesh has an effective literacy rate (ELR) - the proportion of the population aged seven years or more that is literate - of 46.3 per cent among Dalits, while the figure for Bihar is 28.5 per cent against the national average of 54.7 per cent.

The point is reinforced by enrolment data. Between 1995 and 2003, total enrolment in primary classes increased by about 14 per cent for the population as a whole as also for Dalits.

At the secondary and senior secondary levels, enrolment increased by 45 per cent for the whole population, but a shining 60 per cent among Dalits.

In higher education, the growth in enrolment of Dalit students is stunning - it grew by over 106 per cent, as against 42 per cent among the total population.