Dalit Liberation Sunday celebrated on the fifth of December

(December 04, 2010) Sixty years of denial of justice, not being covered under the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 due to which there has been rampant attacks and continued violence on Dalit Christians, no space for equal political representation and the sorry plight of the Christians and the Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin in India continues unabated. The struggle for Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims continues amidst hope against hope with the delay and denial of justice by the Union Governments of India, said Bishop A. Neethinathan, Bishop of Chinglepet, and Bishop in charge for the CBCI commission for SC/ST, in his message for the Dalit Sunday held on the 5^th of December. He added that denial of human rights to Dalits, denial of justice to Dalit women, denial of access to safe drinking water to Dalits, denial of equality to Dalits even at places of higher learning, denial of justice is everyday news in our country. The Bishop called on the Christian community for an introspection to know how best it has addressed issues of injustice as a constitutive dimension of Christian faith, like that of the Dalit Christian issue. Speaking on hope the Prelate said that Dalit youth are assets to the community and society at large. Bubbling with talents and dreams for a better personal life and community life they want to gain space in all walks of life. In this year of youth Christian community needs to focus on the youth, particularly from Dalit background so that they could be agents of leading the struggle for equal rights for Dalit Christians, said Bishop Neethinathan.