. The assault took place in India 's Uttar Pradesh state , about 150 km -LRB- 93 miles -RRB- south of Delhi . The state is governed by Mayawati , a woman who goes by one name and is India 's most powerful Dalit politician . Her Bahujan Samaj Party seeks to get more political representation for Dalits , who are considered so low in the social order that they do n't even rank among the four classes that make up the caste system . Hindus believe there are five main groups of people , four of which sprang from the body of the first man . The Brahmin class comes from the mouth . They are the priests and holy men , the most elevated of the castes . Next is the Ksatriyas , the kings , warriors and soldiers created from the arms . The Vaisyas come from the thighs . They are the merchants and traders of society . And the Sudras , or laborers , come from the feet . The last group is the Dalits , or the `` untouchables . '' They 're considered too impure to have come from the primordial being .
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man , incensed that a 6-year-old girl chose to walk through a path reserved for upper caste villagers , pushed her into burning embers , police in north India said Wednesday . She was seriously burned . Dalits , or `` untouchables , '' are victims of discrimination in India despite laws aimed at eliminating prejudice . The girl is a Dalit , or an `` untouchable , '' according to India 's traditional caste system . India 's constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination , and barriers have broken down in large cities . Prejudice , however , persists in some rural areas of the country . The girl was walking with her mother down a path in the city of Mathura when she was accosted by a man in his late teens , said police superintendent R.K. Chaturvedi . `` He scolded them both and pushed her , '' Chaturvedi said . The girl fell about 3 to 4 feet into pile of burning embers by the side of the road . The girl remained in critical condition Wednesday . The man confessed to the crime and was charged with attempted murder , Chaturvedi said