Dalit Muslims, Christians ask inclusion in SC quota

New Delhi, Apr 30: 'Dalit' Muslims and Christians today staged a demonstration here demanding inclusion in reservation for Scheduled Castes.

Thousands of 'Dalit' Muslims and Christians marched from Ram Lila Ground to Jantar Mantar urging the Centre to grant SC status to Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin.

The demonstration was led by National Council of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslim Liberation Movement.

''Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin experience the stigma of untouchability within their religious communities and in civil society. They live through the same social, economical and educational backwardness as other Scheduled Castes,'' the demonstrators said.

They demanded removal of religious bar from Scheduled Caste reservation so that 'Dalits' among them could be re-included in this category under Article 341 of the Constitution.

Addressing the gathering National Council of Dalit Christians leader Ceaser Franklin said the Centre was more worried about 27 per cent reservation for OBCs, when it should stress on delinking religion from Scheduled Caste reservation so that injustice being perpetrated against 'Dalit' Christians and Muslims since 1950 be stopped at the earliest.

Dalit Muslim Liberation Movement Convener Kamal Ashraf said 'Dalits' belonging to every religious community were entitled to avail the facilities entitled to SCs from 1935 to 1950. However, through a Presidential Order in 1950 all 'Dalits' among minorities were suddenly declared unfit, inspite of fulfiling all the criteria fixed in 1935.

Later, two minorities, Sikh (1956) and Neo-Buddhists (1990) were re-included but Muslim and Christians were not probably due to some conspiracy, he said demanding the government immediately bring a notification removing the religious bar from SC reservations.

Most Commissions like the National Minority Commission, Commission for Review of Constitution, Sachchar Commission and Rangnath Mishra Commission had also recommended such a reservation, Dalit Muslim Movement Founder Ejaz Ali stated.

UNI