(India) : Millions of Indian Christians are being denied their constitutional
rights by the government, which is refusing to give them a place in the
country's hierarchical caste system.
According to the human rights group, Barnabas Aid the Indian
Constitution recognises two groups of historically disadvantaged people,
the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Legislation exists to redress the socio-economic deprivation they have suffered and bolster their rights.
"But Christian Dalits and tribal Christians are being denied this
important status on the grounds of their faith," said a spokesperson for
the group. "Muslim Dalits are also discriminated against. In 1950, the Indian
Parliament granted Scheduled Caste recognition to Hindu Dalits; this was
extended to Buddhist and Sikh Dalits in 1956 and 1990 respectively. Two-thirds of India's 27 million Christians are Dalits, the category
of people at the very bottom of Indian society. Christian and Muslim
Dalits have been campaigning for equal recognition for years; their
latest protest took place on November 15, in New Delhi."
Samuel Jayakumatr, executive secretary of the Commission for Policy,
Governance and Public Witnesses, said that the two communities are worse
off socio-economically than their Hindu counterparts.
"Given the fact that the SC status and the benefits that go with it
are aimed to address historical caste-based socio-economic deprivation,
the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims have more compelling case for SC
status than many others."
Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians,
said, "The government is making fun of tribal Christians, and prevents
the community from enjoying their constitutional rights."
A senior Christian leader in India said that the continued denial of
SC status to these communities made a "complete mockery" of the
country's democratic and secular credentials.
Unlike for SC status, religious affiliation is not meant to be a
consideration in terms of ST status. And yet Christians and even their
non-Christian relatives are also suffering discrimination in this
regard.
A Christian leader in Kandhamal district, Orissa state, said a number
of cases had come to light in recent months, adding, "There are many
similar stories and the number is growing."
Prakash Pradhan, a tribal Kandho Christian, applied for a caste
certificate in order to obtain a scholarship for his children. This was
refused on the grounds of Prakash's Christian faith.
His brother, a
Hindu, was also denied a certificate, because he is related to a
Christian.
Another case involved Jacob Pradhan, a Christian minister, who has
been trying to obtain the document for four months. His case is
complicated by the fact that his wife is a Dalit; their children
consequently cannot be considered tribal.
"Without a caste certificate, Indian Christians are denied social and
economic rights, leaving them trapped in poverty," added the Barnabas
Aid spokesperson.