In response to the issues raised by Praskanva Sinharay ("A New Politics of Caste", EPW, 25 August 2012) and Uday Chandra and Kenneth Bo Nielsen ("The Importance of Caste in Bengal", EPW, 3 November 2012), this article argues that caste has been hidden from view in Bengal due to the very specifi c manner in which religious community, class, caste and political power have combined in (West) Bengal.