Demanding Justice for Christian and Muslim Dalits

“Our Nation India is celebrating 60th Anniversary (senior Citizen status) SASHTAPURTI of our Republic and yet two communities Christian dalits and Muslim dalits are still 60 year behind by the discriminatory Order of 1950” - Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, General Secretary, Church of North India and the Hony. Executive Secretary, Communion of Churches in India told to the Union Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram when a delegation of Muslim and Christian leaders met him in his chamber today in the afternoon. It may be noted that the Justice Rangaraj Mishra Commission, which tabled its report in the Parliament recently has clearly stated that para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 – which originally restricted the Scheduled Castes net to the Hindus and later opened it to Sikhs and Budhists, thus still excluding from its purview the Muslims, Christians, Jains and Parsis etc., should be whole deleted by appropriate action so as to completely de-link the Scheduled Caste status from religion and make the Scheduled Caste net fully religion neutral like that of the Scheduled Tribes.”

Quoting this clause Dr. Pradhan further told the Union Home Minister that we are not for reservation and some facilities here and some facilities there but our struggle is for total removal of discrimination treating everyone as equal in the 60th year of Republic of this great Nation, India. Mr. Chidambaram gave a patient hearing and told the delegation that the Government is aware of this sensitive issue and would definitely do something as the report has already come before the Parliament. The delegation included Mr. Mujtaba Farooq, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Dr. Zafrul-Islam Khan, Former President, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Moulaqna Niyaz Farooqi, Secretary, Jamaiat Ulama-e-Hind, Rev. Dr. Fr. G. Cosmon of the CBCI Commission for SC/ST/BS beside Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan