Lid off Hindu hypocrisy
Bangalore:
The Minority Rights Group, London, which did a great service to the Untouchables of India by sponsoring Dr. Laxmi Berwa to give his historic evidence before the Human Rights Committee, Geneva, has now come out with a valuable document on the problem of the world’s largest persecuted minority.
Titled “The Untouchables of India”, the document will serve as a useful guide to all those interested in this gravest form of Apartheid. We have gone through the 20 page document and call upon all Dalits, other minorities, their sympathisers and academics to secure the copy from the London office. We have also requested the MRG to keep some books with us for sale in India. The document is yet another conclusive proof of India’s grave violations of human rights. The persecution of Untouchables, therefore, automatically becomes an international problem calling for the immediate intervention of the United Nations. We call upon our Dalit comrades and their sympathisers to move the UNO on this and call for sanctions against this serious violation of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which came into force on March 23, 1976, and which the Indian Govt. refused to sign. By this the Indian Govt. automatically loses any right to speak about human rights violations in other parts of the world and specially on the Apartheid in South Africa and elsewhere. A press note of the MRG, London, adds: One in 40 of the total number of people in the world today faces a lifetime fighting against the stigma of being treated as Untouchable. The Untouchables of India, today often called the ‘Scheduled Castes’, are the world’s largest minority group with over 100 million members. They are also the group facing the longest history of continuous discrimination. This discrimination has its roots in ancient Indian society and has been perpetuated through the caste system, which has ensured that, despite the very substantial changes which have occurred in Indian society, Untouchables have always been at the bottom of the social and economic scale. The Report The Untouchables of India, originally published by MRG in 1975, has now been reissued in a new edition: Originally written by Dilip Hiro, well known British journalist of Indian origin, it has now been revised and updated by the MRG Working Group on Untouchables, whose aim is to influence public opinion on all issues concerning Untouchables and work for the abolition of Untouchability in all its forms. This report is one of the few non-academic or non-governmental publications in English which discusses the conditions of the Untouchables today and contains valuable information on a whole range of issues which can be hard to obtain without specialist knowledge. Untouchables still face massive discrimination in Indian society today, despite the fact that under the Indian Constitution untouchability is abolished. For the 90% who still live in the villages struggling to make a minimal living as agricultural labourers or marginal cultivators, the outlook is extremely grim. They are still subject to the dictates of landlords, low or non-existent wages, debt and bonded labour. Even in the cities, Untouchables still suffer discrimination in the fields of employment, education and housing. Since independence the Indian Govt. has made attempts to combat discrimination by several attempts at affirmative action. The Protection of Civil Rights Act punishes those who carry out acts of discrimination against Untouchables, while the quota system guarantees an equitable proportion of place in the Parliamentary system, educational institutions and Govt. employment. But poverty and corruption within the system mean that such laws only ensure a small proportion of the Untouchables benefit. And the government has been ineffectual in preventing a rising tide of upper caste violence against Untouchable communities, especially against those who have been assertive and stood up for their rights. The report concludes by making a strong plea for extending affirmative action, an increase in the extent of the govt. quota system and strong action, both within India and internationally, to protect and extend Untouchable rights and advancement. Copies of this report are available from MRG, 36 Craven St, London, WC2N 5NG, UK . price £ 1.20 plus P & P £ 0.30 (US $ 3.00 plus $ 0.60 surface mail) air mail extra. The press note adds: If you see this report as either the basis of an article or a review, please could you: i) quote MRG’s name and address so that interested readers may obtain copies. ii) Send us a copy for our files.
Further information from. MRG, London, Ben Whitaker/Jackie Wray-930-6659, Barbara Joshi, 3 Mohawk Ave, Genesco, New York State, 14454, USA. We thank the MRG on behalf of the Dalits & persecuted minorities of India.
