Anti-untouchability resolution: National Dalit rights body urges on "effective" measures to end discrimination

By A Representative
Following the European Parliament resolution favouring engagement with countries where untouchability is rampant, particularly in South Asia, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), which is the apex body of all Dalit rights organizations, has urged the Government of India to take “effective measures” to prevent and address violations stemming from caste discrimination. It adds, “More in depth debate in state institutions and civil society is needed on how to tackle the issue of lack of implementation in political, civil society and also among media spheres.”
In a statement issued from Delhi, the NCDHR says that “the practice of untouchability of the caste system and the related caste based discrimination in various forms is still rampant and remains as one of the main human rights concerns in India”, adding, “Although India has an impressive range of constitutional provisions and laws that ban caste discrimination and untouchability, the lack of implementation remains a chronic problem.”
“Welcoming” the European Parliament resolution which exclusively addresses the issue of CBD in India and other South Asian countries, the statement says, the resolution, passed on October 10, was “strongly worded” and was “adopted with an overwhelming majority in the European Parliament”. Going into the merits of the resolution, it adds, “The resolution recognizes the presence of caste based dicrimination globally and points out series of issues related to caste discrimination as well as various forms of caste related violence against Dalits, especially against Dalit women.”
It adds, “The European Parliament reiterated its serious concern about the violence perpetrated against Dalit women from its resolutions of December 13, 2012 on caste discrimination in India, of January 17, 2013 on violence against women in India, of February 1, 2007 on the Human Rights Situation of the Dalits in India, and of April 18, 2012 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World.”
The statement highlights how several other “major issues highlighted by the resolution were the presence of caste based discrimination in the labour market and also in the private sector which adds to exclusion and growing inequalities and how there should be strong legislations and policy measures to counter such issues”.
It says, “Lack of implementation of caste prohibiting legislation in caste affected countries was taken up as a serious concern in the resolution. India also faces this as the biggest challenge and the Government of India needs to take effective measures to address impunity of the state”.
The statement, however, falls short of saying what exactly should the Government of India do as an immediate follow-up, and how the NCDHR will ensure that the European Parliament resolution would be implemented in India. In fact, there is a distinct view among human rights activists in Gujarat that the resolution may be wanting European officials business to “engage” with the private sector and the officialdom in India wherever caste-based discrimination is found, but it is doubtful if it will be implemented.

"Economic interests reign supreme, and usually such resolutions, though important, are rarely recalled, let alone implemented", a senior activist said, asking not to be named.
Be that as it may, the statement welcomes the European Parliament urging the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and also other states parties affected by the caste system “to mainstream the fight against caste-based discrimination in legislation, policies and programming documents and to adopt operational guidelines for its implementation; and to enhance monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in order to assess effectively the impact of European Union (EU) action on the situation of people affected by this form of discrimination”.
The statement quotes the European Development Committee specially emphasizing on the need to “to develop and apply caste-sensitive approaches in times of humanitarian crisis and ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to all marginalised groups, including people suffering from caste-based discrimination”.
Welcoming the EU view, the NCDHR said, “It encourages the EU itself, as an important global stakeholder in upholding human rights, to engage with many of the countries in South Asia and Africa where caste discrimination is prevalent. The resolution will help the EU strengthen its development cooperation and human rights dialogue with these countries, so it could address the issue effectively. We support all countries to work together to develop a world free of caste discrimination.”
Among those who signed the resolution are Vijay Parmar, convenor, NHRDC, apart from other Dalit rights leaders associated with the organization, N Paul Diwakar, Vimal Thorat, Asha Kowtal, and Prasad Sirivella.

Comments

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Search This Blog