Rally and Dharna for Equal Rights for Dalit Christians

NEW DELHI, July 22, 2010, 14:00 Hrs (Cosmon Arokiaraj / CBCI News):

National Council of Dalit Christians with the collaboration of CBCI and NCCI held a Rally and Dharna on 21st July 2010 from 9 am to 4 pm, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi – 110 001, to urge the Union Government:1) to take an urgent action on the NCRLM report, particularly to the Additional Term of Reference for granting the Scheduled Castes status to Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste Origin and 2) to give an appropriate answer to the query of the Supreme Court to the Writ Petitions demanding deletion of the unjust paragraph 3 of the Constitution Scheduled Castes Order 1950 and to extend Scheduled Caste status to Muslims and Christians of Scheduled Caste Origin.

More than 3000 people from Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamilandu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana took part in the meeting. The rally started from the Kerala House at Jantar Mantar Road. Most Rev. Vincent M. Concessao, the Archbishop of Delhi inaugurated the dharna. Most Rev. A. Neethinathan, the member Bishop of the CBCI Commission for SC/ST/BC, Most Rev. Franco, Auxiliary Bishop of Delhi and Bishops from other Churches participated in the meeting. Political leaders such as Honourable Ali Anwar, MP, Honourable Dhanuskodi Athithan, former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports addressed the gathering. The tableau of hanging the Dalit Christian and Dalit Muslim with paragraph 3 of the Constitution of Scheduled Caste Order 1950 attracted the participants and conveyed the message very clearly. At the end of the meeting the participants tore the banner containing paragraph 3 of the Constitution Scheduled Caste Order 1950.

The participants from Tamilnadu are even contemplating to boycott the forthcoming Assembly elections if the Union Government fails to extend Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims. They have vouched to intensify the struggles throughout the country by conducting rallies and dharnas.