India’s delay of Christian rights hearing protested

NEW DELHI — More than 500 Christians from across India staged a rally in New Delhi Nov. 29 to protest yet another Supreme Court deferment of a hearing on the rights of more than 16 million Dalit Christians. Dalit Christians eagerly awaiting the hearing Nov. 28 were hopeful as a report of an advisory panel, the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, had in May favored affirmative action benefits for Dalit converts to Christianity. The federal government, ruled by the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), was expected to decide Nov. 28 whether Dalit Christians can be denied affirmative action benefits extended to Dalits of other faiths.

The hearing, however, was postponed until January after the government told the court that the UPA government was awaiting response from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Archbishop Vincent Concessao of the Archdiocese of Delhi said in a statement, “They are an oppressed lot. We request the government of India to listen to the voice of Dalit Christians and stop exploiting the goodwill of minorities.”