India, Feb. 14 -- Sonam Londhe and her family - her sisters, and young niece and nephew - found a spot at Azad Maidan, where they spread a thin blanket on the ground, to rest on Thursday morning. They were weary, their clothes tattered, and the soles of their feet caked with dirt.

The family had just walked for six days, a distance of 150 km, from Pune to Mumbai, seeking justice and an audience with the chief minister.

As the others rested, Londhe spoke of the desperation that had driven them to take this step. "Our story starts two years ago, when a neighbour in Thergaon, Pimpri Chinchwad, attacked our boy over a remark on our Matang caste," she said. "Fearing harm due to this caste enmity, we approached the Vakad police but the office...