As many as 1,000 Dalit Christians participated in a day-long fast convened by the Commission for the Development of Christians of SC/ST Origin here on Monday, urging the Central government to include them in the Scheduled Castes category.
Alleging that despite the Constitution and subsequent commissions identifying them as being in Scheduled Caste status, the protesters said that the Central government did not confer Scheduled Caste status on Dalit Christians.
In a charter of demands, they said that the commission had been fighting for over 28 years to get the SC/ST status rightfully for Dalit Christians.
“On the lines of Dalit Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, who are recognised as Scheduled Castes, Dalit Christians should also be given the status,” the charter said.
They further said that their caste identity transcended all boundaries and was a part of their life for generations. They should rightfully be given the Scheduled Caste status since they were battling discrimination and other related issues.
