Urgent appeal on behalf of India's Christian Dalit
The Dalit, (Untouchables) in India, currently face severe discrimination in all areas, including housing, employment and education. Next month the Supreme Court of India will be considering a petition from Christian and non-Christian organisations, calling for the Dalit to have equal rights with members of other castes. John Dayal, a correspondent in New Delhi, has written to ICN asking for readers to support the campaign. He writes: The Supreme Court of India, once it convenes in July 2006 after its summer vacations, is expected to take up hearings on the writ petition seeking full SC rights for all Dalits irrespective of religion. The government has asked the National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities, otherwise called the Justice Rangnath Misra Commission, to look into the demand and give its opinion. This opinion will be presented before the Supreme Court. The Misra Commission has asked the Tata Consultancy to organise seminars on the subject. It has also asked the public to give its suggestions in the next few weeks. Earlier it held public meetings in many cities in various parts of the countries. Major Christian groups have already given one round of testimony. Apparently that has not satisfied someone in the Commission. This is perhaps because the RSS and its more than 100 daughter organisations have launched a massive counter campaign against Christians in general and Christians of Dalit origin in particular and are flooding the offices of the Misra Commission with hate mail. This is to request you, therefore, to kindly write to the Justice Misra Commission in support of the demand of Christians of Dalit origin, to get this marginalised group its fundamental rights so brutally snatched from it by the Presidential Order 1950. The Commission's e-mail is: ncrlm2005@rediffmail.com. The postal address is "Member Secretary, NCRLM, Gate 30, II Floor, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi 110003 The e-mail address of member secretary is das_asha@yahoo.com The Chairman's postal address is 31, Aurangazeb Road New Delhi 110001. Thank you And God Bless John Dayal