Minority Commission to submit report on Dalit Christians

Indian Catholic - New Delhi,IndiaNEW DELHI (ICNS): India’s apex National Minorities Commission (NMC) will soon submit its assessment to the government on the controversial issue of granting Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Muslims. Dalit Christians and Muslims in the country have not been given educational benefits despite several representations to the government in the last few decades.
Recently, the NMC recently commissioned a study on the plight of Dalit Christians. It came up with strong recommendation for granting scheduled caste status for Dalit Muslims and Christians on the lines of Dalit Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.
In the wake of this recommendation, the Human Resources Development Ministry has now asked the NMC to present its case to the government as early as possible.
The HRD Ministry has also asked the NMC to take up the case with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment which had earlier expressed some reservations on the issue, saying it would affect the 15% quota for Dalit Hindus.
The NMC study had looked into the contemporary status of Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians in terms of their material well-being and social status. It had categorically stated that there was a strong case for including Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste category.
The study said that there were compelling arguments in favour of such an inclusion based on principles of natural justice and fairness. "The balance of pragmatic considerations is also in favour of their inclusion. According due statutory recognition to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians would not only right a wrong, it would also remove an indefensible anomaly in our politico-legal system that can legitimately be construed as discriminatory,” it had pointed out.
“In most social contexts, they are Dalits first and Muslims and Christians only second,” it added.