Human Rights Breakthrough for Christians in India

The human rights situation among Christian Dalits in India has experienced a breakthrough last week, as India’s Supreme Court has announced that it has accepted hearings on discrimination cases. Both Protestant Christian and Catholic Churches in India have welcomed the new movement.

In India, the traditional Hindu caste system which consists of 4 distinct classes prevails. Beneath the four main castes is a fifth group, the Dalits. They literally have no caste. They are the untouchables that have always been oppressed, downtrodden and exploited in the society. Dalits are used to being given the lowest status jobs and even forced to scavenge for a living.

According to the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), there are approximately 240 million Dalits, which is nearly 25% of the total population in India.

In 1950, legislation entitled Hindu Dalits to free education and reserved them a proportion of government jobs. Buddhist and Sikh Dalits were later included but Christian and Muslim Dalits were left out.

Reported by AsiaNews.it, Catholic organisations such as the All India Catholic Union have launching a campaign to raise public awareness regarding the discrimination against Christians Dalits. Rallies, round tables, prayer vigils and a series of public conferences are scheduled for the major states of Trivandrum, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The National Council of Churches in India (NCC India), along with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), has also set up a group to lobby the government to work on the equality of Christian Dalits.

The group argues that the 1950 order violated the "fundamental right to equality" guaranteed under India's constitution since Dalits converting to Christianity were deprived of the benefits given to those from the same community belonging to other religions.

On 11th April, India's highest court sent a notice to the federal government, agreeing to accept hearings on discrimination cases against Christians. NCC India Executive Secretary Y Moses said it was a very positive development.

"We see a ray of hope. Now, we have a great opportunity to push our case forward."