The Punjab government has fi led cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against publishers and editors of poetry books written by a long dead poet for including inappropriate caste names. Babu Rajab Ali's poetry has been published many times previously, often by the government itself, and his works have been read and researched for many decades as it is an important cultural resource for understanding Punjabi society. Such use of protective legislation for petty political gains needs to be strongly resisted.
