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The ministry of social justice of India has denied the Christian and Muslim of the country the scheduled caste (SC) status. Earlier a proposal was offered to the ministry requesting to make a child eligible for SC status if either the mother or father belongs to SC. The ministry revived the proposal saying that the SC status to children from mixed parentage would require the non-Dalit parent to be either Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh. That means that if one of the parents belongs to Christian or Muslim community then their child will not be offered the scheduled caste status.
The Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam have been demanding that SC category be extended to them. But according to sources, the change in the proposal is made because if SC status is made available to a child from mixed parentage then it will break the religion barrier put on being a Dalit. Besides giving Muslims and Christians, the SC status will agitate the Hindutva outfits of the country. The Dalit status will be available to the followers of three faiths- Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
