Atrocity

noun (countable and uncountable)

/əˈtrɒsɪti/

An act of extreme cruelty or violence, particularly one inflicted on a vulnerable group; in Indian legal terminology, it refers specifically to offences against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as defined by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Act was strengthened by the 2015 and 2018 Amendments following the Supreme Court's dilution in Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v. State of Maharashtra (2018), which was subsequently overturned. NCRB data (2022) recorded 51,656 atrocity cases against SCs, underscoring the persistence of caste-based violence.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in Subhash Kashinath Mahajan, which required prior sanction before arresting accused under the Atrocities Act, triggered widespread protests by Dalit organisations who argued it effectively neutered a law meant to protect SC/ST communities from caste-based violence.

Synonyms

outrageheinous actbrutalitycrueltyabominationbarbarity

Antonyms

benevolencehumanitycompassioncivility

🌱 Word Family

atrocious (adjective), atrociously (adverb), atrociousness (noun)

🔡 Root

Latin atrox = fierce, cruel, savage (ater = black, gloomy + oculus = eye — one who looks with dark/hostile eyes); -itas = quality; -ity = English suffix

📜 Etymology

From Latin atrocitas (fierceness, cruelty), through French atrocité into English by the mid-16th century. The word carried senses of savage cruelty in warfare before acquiring its modern legal connotation. In Indian law, 'atrocity' was given a precise statutory definition through the 1989 Act, making it a technical legal term alongside its ordinary sense.

🧠 Memory Hook

The Latin root atrox means 'black-eyed' — someone who looks at you with cruel, dark eyes. An atrocity is an act born of that dark, savage gaze. Remember atroc- = savage: AT-ROCI-TY = AT (terribly) ROCI (fierce) TY.

⚖️ Social Justice 📖 Seen in: Dalit Rights & SC/ST Atrocities Act — ...

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