Dalit, meaning "broken/scattered" in Sanskrit and Hindi, is a term mostly used for the  ethnic groups in India that have been kept repressed (often termed backward  castes). Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were  seen as forming a fifth varna, also known by the name of Panchama. Dalits now  profess various religious beliefs, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity  and various folk religions. The 2011 Census of India recorded their numbers at over  200 million people, representing 16 percent of India''s population.

Comparison between Rural and Urban Dalits

• While migrating to the urban areas in search of livelihood, the Dalit family has to get separated from its community in the rural setting which causes a loss of belongingness that they get in their village.
• They also face the wrath of urbanisation, the pollution, packed houses with least hope of sanitation and safe drinking water in urban slums that is not found in the rural areas.
• But it must also be noted that in rural society, the norms are to be strictly followed, even now caste system is rigidly followed in some rural areas and urbanisation gives a chance to the members of the community for social mobility.
• In some village societies, still the lower caste people are subjected to perform some specific kind of occupation, but in cities they can do whatever work they want to perform. Hence the status gets changed from ascribed to achieved.
• Rural setting gives a kind of moral support and social strength to any community due to increased social interactions and social responsibilities there, but urban areas give the opportunity to any individual for social mobility.

The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on atrocities against Dalits punctures the long-held view that caste matters less in urban areas. The data for 2016, which for the first time gives figures for violence against Dalits in 19 metropolitan cities in India, reveals that crimes against Dalits in urban centres reflect the pattern in the rural hinterland. For instance, Lucknow and Patna top the list of cities that have reported the highest percentage of atrocities against Dalits, and match the figures for UP and Bihar, which have reported the maximum number of violent incidents against Dalits among states.

It is often argued that urban India, being a melting pot of communities and identities, is less oppressive towards Dalits. The nature of productive forces and relations and the wealth of employment opportunities in the cities foreground class identities over caste and, in turn, help to eradicate prejudice and caste-centric violence. Babasaheb Ambedkar was convinced that urbanisation could end Dalit oppression. However, the NCRB data reveals that urban centres tend to reflect the social mores and power relations of rural hinterlands instead of evolving an autonomous social or political dynamic that is accommodative of Dalit concerns and aspirations. Cities, indeed, offer more economic opportunities. But these opportunities need not necessarily subdue or end social discrimination. The trigger of caste oppression may be different in urban and rural areas, but urban India, clearly, is no less an unequal space than rural India for Dalits.

The continuing violence against Dalits — the number of incidents is rising every year — 70 years after Independence points to a failure of politics. A progressive Constitution and numerous laws have empowered the Dalits, but these have not ended caste discrimination. In fact, the politicisation and empowerment of the Dalit community has resulted in a backlash with counter-mobilisations by communities that are reluctant to give up their social, economic and political privileges. The political mainstream seems to be incapable of addressing this impasse, which has led to the emergence of new social movements and groups. Their assertions of rights, dignity and self-respect are being met with violence. That atrocities against Dalits are getting reported more and more and new forms of resistance are emerging points to the stirrings of change both in urban and rural India.