Disturbed by still extant caste discrimination

A few years ago one of my friends fell in love with a girl and the two got married. They make a very good couple and are getting about their lives very well save for one thing. My friend’s wife is from a different caste, one of the traditionally suppressed ones, and this has made a significant difference in their lives. It’s a shame that his closest relatives and cousins have literally boycotted him and his family from all their social functions and gatherings. It’s all the more a pity when all his relatives are educated, well-off and supposedly respected in society.  But what the educated, well-off and supposedly respected relatives of my friend don’t realize is that any discrimination on the basis of caste is a crime and an abominable offence to society.
So I guess that would make them all not so respectful but criminals, eh?
And all this in a developing state like ours in the 21st century?

Please do not support social discrimination in any form as these are our biggest hurdles towards a developed society. No matter how rich we may become in terms of material acquisitions, no matter how high we climb up the social ladder, we can never call ourselves truly developed, educated, and wealthy until we open our hearts and minds and be true to ourselves and shun all pretences and social injustices. I do not know how widely spread the problem is in the state but we need to come together and abolish such practices for good.
My friend now has a boy and he is growing fast. We do not want to see him grow around hatred based on prejudices but we definitely want him to grow proud of our state and country and carry forth great messages of humanity to the world.
An anonymous citizen of Sikkim