The caste system in India is totally racist. Although considered illegal, a large segment of Indian society still hold strong beliefs about its enforcement.
The lighter the skin, the higher the cast. the Dalits (Untouchables) have no cast, are very dark. They are considered outcasts of society. It’s strange that they are considered untouchable, and yet they are the one group that can handle the dead.
Conversion to Christianity in the past, allowed Dalits to escape from their preordained status, and prosper. Christians have been in India since the time of the Apostles, and yet now it is considered illegal for a Dalit to convert to Christianity.
The newest wave of intolerance dictates that Dalits must follow Hinduism, and must be forcibly returned to Hinduism.
“It’s strange that they are considered untouchable, and yet they are the one group that can handle the dead.”
I’d think that is why they are “untouchable” (contagion).
The Indian government has set up affirmative-action type programs to integrate the Dalits into society; I don’t know if it is posturing or real, but the government certainly can’t force higher castes to intermarry with them.
While India is the largest democracy in the world, they have a different understanding of the term - it is incompatible with a caste system.