ASIA/INDIA - Local Catholic Church demands protection for Dalits and prevention of violence against them

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – “This murder of two Dalit infants was an abominable crime. As representative of the office of the Indian Catholic Bishops’ Conference for the Development of Dalit peoples, I attended, together with other Catholic Associations, civil society demonstrations to protest against violence and express solidarity and support for Dalit peoples”: Fides learned from Father Devasagaya Raj, secretary of the above mentioned office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for matters concerning Dalit peoples.
Fides was informed that two Dalit infants were burned alive in the village of Sunped, in the suburbs of New Delhi, by members of a superior caste. One child was aged two years, the other only nine months. The priest told Fides: “Sad to say this is not an isolated episode. Attacks of this kind happen all over India against Dalit, the poorest, weakest and most vulnerable of Indians. They are often the result of private arguments or restricted local conflicts. Dalit people are attacked and killed precisely because they are helpless and murders often go unpunished”.
“We have firmly condemned the episode: in the future there must be more protection and prevention for these communities” says Father Devasagaya Raj. “The Catholic Church in India stands with the weakest people and has raised a voice with the government and in society calling for protection and respect for the dignity of the outcast and the poor”, he concludes. Regarding the infants’ murder, after protests on the part of the local people, the police detained three suspects. The authorities suspect an act of murder committed for revenge for an old dispute. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 22/10/2015)

Share:

dalit

---

---

violence

---

---