wfn.org | NCC India - Dalit killing : Arrest Hindu fundamentalist for crime

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

PRESS RELEASE

Dalit killing : Arrest Hindu fundamentalist for crime

The National Council of Churches in India deplores the killing of five 
Dalit youth in the Jhajjar district of Haryana on Wednesday the 16th 
October 2002 for skinning a dead cow.  This is one of the most horrendous 
crimes against humanity and it is also an indication of the present 
condition of dalits in this country.  The NCCI demands an immediate arrest 
of all the culprits.  Efforts to shelter the criminals by the 
fundamentalist groups should be thwarted.  If this can happen in a country 
known for its so-called faith in non-violence, and considering the fact 
that this has happened in the presence of the district commissioner, the 
city magistrate and the police, it should rate as one of the most organized 
and a patronized killing.  Who can protect the most vulnerable in our 
society?  The VHP which has been identified as the perpetrators of 
violence, were spotted by the district commissioner Manohar Kumar and they 
should be arrested immediately.  Justice delayed is Justice denied and the 
Dalits in this country have been denied for their dignity and justice for 
2000 years.  Upper caste hegemony and violence against the most vulnerable 
in our societies must immediately stop.  Hindutva elements cannot be 
allowed to rule this nation and continue to be a threat to Dalits and 
Adivasis.  Organized violence against Dalits should stop and the government 
should take steps to do this.

The NCCI demands a CBI probe and also asks the National Commission on 
Minorities, the Human Rights Commission and the National Commission on 
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to immediately investigate and probe 
the issue.  If necessary a Public Interest Litigation should be filed and 
FIRs should be registered against all the guilty.  It also asks the NDA 
government to check the Hindutva movement which is annihilating the Dalits 
and the Adivasis and not protect them.

Chandran Paul 
Martin								 Ipe Joseph

Press 
Secretary 
General Secretary

Friday, October 18, 2002

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News letter : N C C India