Indian Teen Stabbed for Sporting a Mustache in Caste-System Protest

A 17-year-old student was stabbed in an Indian village Tuesday for sporting a mustache as part of a protest against the country’s strict caste system. The teenager, who has not been named, was a Dalit, one of the lowest castes in the country under the traditional class system. He was attacked by unidentified assailants after returning home from school, becoming the third Dalit with a mustache to be attacked in the past week, local media reports. Upper-caste Darbars have been accused of waging brutal assaults on members of the lower caste in Gujarat who dare to grow mustaches, sparking hundreds of Dalit men to grow mustaches in protest. The 17-year-old reportedly required seven stitches after Tuesday’s attack, which came just two days after a 20-year-old Dalit man was killed outside a temple, allegedly by upper-caste men. Dalit activists have vowed to protest the surge in violence, calling for a rally Wednesday outside the Legislative Assembly to demand that the government take action.