Father Cosmon Arokiaraj, executive secretary of the Dalit' Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), has described the recommendation of the commission as "a very significant development in the campaign against discrimination against Christian Dalits."
"The commission has now acknowledged that the caste system should be recognised as a general social characteristic of Indian society and that Christianity and Islam are not insulated against the caste system," Fr. Arokiaraj said.
Meanwhile, in another recommendation, the Mishra Commission has unanimously rejected linguistic minority status as a criterion for backwardness.
The report has also suggested that the three language formula be implemented everywhere in the country making it compulsory for authorities to include in it the mother tongue of every child.
Among the economic measures recommended, are 15 percent share be earmarked for the minorities in all government schemes like the rural employment generation programme, Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojna and Gramin Rozgar Yojna.
NCRLM, headed by Justice Ranganath Mishra and comprising Tahir Mahmood, Mohinder Singh and Anil Wilson, has termed the exclusion of Dalits from SC list after conversion out of Hinduism as violative of constitutional guarantee of non–discrimination on religious grounds.
The Commission, barring Asha Das who felt SC list was basically a Hindu issue, was unanimous. Tracing the history of SCs, Das said Britishers first categorized 17 occupational groups as "depressed classes" and fixed criterion of social relations to avoid confusion with followers of non–Hindu religions.
Observing that backwardness – both social and economic – actually emanates from educational backwardness, NCRLM has recommended that 15 percent seats in states and Centre should be reserved for minorities with 10 percent for Muslims and rest for others.
For educational upliftment, the panel has demanded that a law should be enacted to set aside 15 percent seats in all non–minority institutions for minorities, with 10 percent for Muslims.
Caste, a social stratification rooted deep in Hinduism, organizes people by a combination of descent and employment. The lowest group in the caste system is the estimated 300 million–strong Dalit population. While atrocities against the Dalits have been practiced for thousands of years, caste–based atrocities are reaching new heights and are causing tension across many areas.
In many areas, they are still not allowed to enter temples or even sit next to upper caste Hindus. Most Dalits are still forced to do manual labour jobs, such as cleaning up human waste.
A 1950 Presidential Order excluded Dalit convert to Christianity from the quota system that reserved jobs to members of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in the public service. The same exclusion applies to those who convert to Islam but not to those who become Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh.
However, in a significant step, the Supreme Court recently decided to consider afresh the crucial constitutional issue of affirmative action in the public sector for Dalit converts to Christianity, refuting the government plea that it be treated as a legislative problem.
The matter, however, has been adjourned several times and the apex court is expected to take up the hearing again in mid–July.
Society
Minority Commission rules in favour of Dalit Christians, recommends affirmative action
By: Bei Chatlai Beita
Monday, 28 May 2007, 15:22 (IST)
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