A submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review: India 01/11/2007
Introduction
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a human rights organisation specialising in religious freedom, wishes to draw the attention of the OHCHR to the widespread abuses associated with the caste system in India, and the infringements of religious freedom (particularly that of the most oppressed castes) which are symptomatic of the extremist nationalist agenda of Hindutva.
CSW is persuaded that the highest levels of Indian government are taking increasingly seriously the plight of the nation’s disenfranchised Dalit (Scheduled Caste) community, and the ongoing problems of religious communalism. However, the wide gulf between legislation and implementation, and the prejudicial attitudes displayed by officials at the state and local levels in many areas, give cause for continued and serious concern.
The issue of caste lies at the heart of many of India’s human rights problems, including prejudicial violence, discrimination, labour exploitation and religious freedom infringements. It should be considered as the main prism through which to view and interpret these problems; and the means of addressing these problems should involve reference to caste. The hierarchical caste system continues to dominate and shape Indian society to a considerable extent, detrimentally affecting the social status, treatment and socio-economic prospects of the Scheduled Castes, or Dalits, who comprise the ‘lowest’ layer of the caste system and represent 16% of the total population (at least 167 million), according to official 2001 census data.
Dalits often bear the brunt of religious freedom violations in India, owing largely to proponents of Hindutva. This is an extremist nationalist manifestation of Hinduism, which encompasses a vision of India as a Hindu nation in which minorities must assimilate to and revere the Hindu religion, race and culture and which, in practice, seeks to preserve and defend the cultural hegemony of Hinduism at the expense of minority religions. Religious freedom obstructions and violations constitute a means of preventing Dalits from escaping the identity imposed upon them by caste. With specific reference to the Christian community, such religious freedom violations take the form of legislative obstacles to conversions (through state-level ‘anti-conversion laws’ and the loss of Scheduled Caste status and its concomitant benefits for members of this group which adopt Christianity or Islam) and social pressures which commonly erupt into violence perpetrated by Hindu extremist groups, often against Dalit converts or Christians working among Dalits. The perpetrators of such violence rarely face prosecution, leading to a damaging culture of impunity.
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