Seattle has become the first city in the US to ban discrimination on the basis of caste.

The city has a large South Asian population, many working in the technology sector.

In the future, caste will be identified in its own class, alongside race, religion and gender identity.

The caste system in India dates back over 3,000 years and divides Hindu society into rigid hierarchical groups.

This can lead to discrimination and violence against those considered to be in the lowest classes – particularly the Dalit, or ‘untouchables’.

Kshama Sawant, the Seattle city councillor behind the legislation, and Pulitzer prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson, join Christian Fraser and his panel to put the new law into context.

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