Untouchables were not allowed to enter temples, draw water from the wells used by the upper castes, or bathe in ponds where upper castes bathed. They were seen as inferior human beings.

There was a misconception among the upper-caste that untouchables would pollute the rooms where their children were taught.

The Satyashodhak Samaj was an association that propagated caste equality. It was founded by Jyotirao Phule.

E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker had left the congress in disgust when he found that at a feast organised by nationalists, seating arrangements followed caste distinctions – that is, the lower castes were made to sit at a distance from the upper castes.