Muslim Solidarity in Dr. Ambedkar’s Mahad Satyagraha: A Forgotten Chapter of Unity
Cross-community support gave strength to the oppressed classes’ assertion at Mahad
By : Dr. Danish Lambe
The Mahad Satyagraha of March 20, 1927, led by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, stands as one of the most defining moments in the fight for equality and justice in India. On that day, thousands of members of the Scheduled Castes and oppressed classes marched to the Chavdar Lake in Mahad, asserting their right to drink water from a public source that had been denied to them by the cruel grip of untouchability. When Dr. Ambedkar bent down and drank the water, he was not just quenching thirst—he was affirming that the oppressed had an equal claim to humanity and dignity.
But alongside this powerful act of defiance lies a lesser-known yet deeply moving story: the solidarity extended by Muslims in Mahad. Their courage and compassion not only made the satyagraha possible but also revealed an inspiring chapter of communal harmony that India must remember today.
The role of Muslims in Mahad
When Dr. Ambedkar planned the satyagraha, he also called a conference of the Depressed Classes at Mahad to prepare and mobilize the participants. Yet the moment caste Hindus learned of this, doors began to shut. No Hindu landlord would allow his land to be used for the gathering. Food vendors in the town refused to sell provisions for the Scheduled Caste delegates. The hostility was suffocating.
It was then that a Muslim landowner came forward, offering his property as the venue for Dr. Ambedkar’s conference. It was a gesture of courage—quiet but resolute—that defied the social pressures of the day. That act gave Dr. Ambedkar and thousands of oppressed people a platform to meet, deliberate, and plan the historic march to the water tank.
The solidarity did not stop there. When Dr. Ambedkar and his followers drank from the Chavdar Lake, orthodox Hindus erupted in rage. A violent mob descended upon the camp, breaking tents, beating men and women, and trying to crush the morale of the movement. In this chaos, many Scheduled Caste men, women, and children ran into the homes of Muslim families in Mahad, who opened their doors without hesitation. They sheltered Dr. Ambedkar’s followers, risking violence themselves. Within those humble walls, humanity triumphed over hatred.
It is equally telling that while caste Hindus insisted that the oppressed could “pollute” the tank, Muslims and Christians in Mahad had long used the same water without opposition. They saw no impurity in sharing the lake with their neighbors. For them, water was a right for all. That quiet acceptance was, in its own way, a moral stand against caste arrogance.
Beyond Mahad: a thread of brotherhood
The events at Mahad were not isolated. They were part of a larger vision that Dr. Ambedkar carried throughout his life—the belief that the oppressed must build alliances beyond the walls of Hindu society. For him, caste was not just a Hindu problem but a poison infecting the fabric of India. To cure it, marginalized communities needed to stand together.
Muslims, who themselves had experienced exclusion from the Hindu mainstream, became natural allies. Leaders such as Maulana Hasrat Mohani, a freedom fighter and poet, reached out to Dr. Ambedkar. In 1949, he hosted Dr. Ambedkar at an iftar in Delhi, a symbolic moment of Scheduled Caste–Muslim unity at a time when Partition’s wounds were still raw. Earlier, during the Round Table Conferences in London, Muslim delegates and Dr. Ambedkar found common cause in demanding political safeguards for minorities and oppressed groups. Their voices, though representing different communities, carried the same demand: justice.
This spirit of solidarity has continued to echo across generations. In recent years, oppressed class and Muslim groups have come together to host Roza Iftars at the Chavdar Lake memorial, honoring Dr. Ambedkar and recalling the brotherhood shown in 1927. These commemorations are not mere rituals—they are living reminders that the fight for equality is strongest when communities stand united.
Lessons for today’s India
The Mahad Satyagraha was about water, but it was never only about water. It was about dignity. It was about whether a human being could be denied basic rights on the basis of birth. It was about whether India could call itself a just society while millions were excluded from the most fundamental of resources.
In this struggle, Muslims of Mahad played their part with compassion and courage. Their actions showed that when faced with injustice, silence is complicity—but solidarity is resistance. They turned their homes into sanctuaries, their land into platforms, and their presence into protection. Their contribution is a reminder that the moral fabric of India is strongest when woven with threads of many faiths and communities.
Today, as India grapples with the dangers of division, the memory of Mahad offers a beacon. It tells us that caste can be fought, that communal lines can be crossed, and that the idea of India as a shared home for all is not a dream but a lived reality. The forgotten unity of Mahad must be revived as inspiration for our times.
As Dr. Ambedkar warned, the struggle against caste was harder than the struggle against colonialism, because the oppressed had to fight against their own countrymen. Yet, at Mahad, they were not alone. Muslims stood by their side. That truth deserves to be told, retold, and cherished.
By Dr. Danish Lambe
Political Scientist (B.A., M.A. in Political Science) and Policy Journalist with expertise in research, history, and ongoing policies and acts shaping India. He does not prefer to use the word “Dalit,” which he feels carries labels imposed by others, and instead chooses terms like “Scheduled Castes” or “oppressed classes,” in line with Dr. Ambedkar’s own usage.