Indian church leaders criticize ruling against low-caste Christians

Published: 2003-12-23

NEW DELHI, India (CNS) -- Church leaders in India have criticized the federal government for opposing an end to religion-based discrimination against low-caste Christians. Officially known as "scheduled castes," dalit -- meaning "trampled upon" in Sanskrit -- refers to the 180 million low-caste people treated as untouchables in the caste-ridden Indian society. The Indian government argues that a dalit who converts to a non-Hindu religion ceases to be a dalit and is no longer entitled to certain legal protections, such as free education and access to government jobs. But Bishop Malayappan Chinnappa of Vellore, chairman of the Dalit Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said the government's stance is an "attempt not only to deny justice to the dalits, but also to undermine Christianity here." Bishop Chinnappa told Catholic News Service that the government is committing an injustice by denying Christian dalits their legal rights.

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