This book treats the Balmikis, a marginalized community, as a conscious entity, and highlights their agency. Dr Vaishali, historian “Acute social and political observations on an important north Indian Dalit community.” American Historical Review “A balanced but not uncritical treatment.” – Journal of Asian Studies “Excellent . . . enlightening. Journal of Social History “A painful saga of exploitation . . . [An] excellent history.” International Journal of Hindu Studies “Untouchable Freedom is a remarkable achievement – it is a labour of love, devotion, and care for a community that Vijay undeniably loves. It is a testimony to a combination of quality research conducted in multiple sites, several archives, and incorporating detailed ethnography. The merit of this remarkable text is that it adds a humane value to the subjects instead of a direct, confrontational reductionism often seen in the case of studies of Dalit lifeworlds. Vijay is aware of his own politics, but he prioritises scholarship over everything else. Vijay has offered evidence of what it means to combine ethnography with compassionate rigour. With detailed notes from the registers of the Delhi Municipal Corporation, National Archives of India, police records, CID reports, and scores of official accounts, this multi-layered study should also be of interest to scholars of urban studies, architecture, and environmental studies.