• Dalit Christian Support Program

Approximately 70% of the Christians population in India are from Scheduled caste backgrounds. Dalit Christians have a unique history of faith experiences because of their caste identity. They embraced Christianity as a faith affirmation against caste slavery and these experiences vary according to regional contexts. The Dalit Christians are the most alienated sections in getting job and educational opportunities in India. In this context, we have to empower the community to make them competitive in the changing world scenario.
National Council of Churches in India has played a vital role in combating caste discriminations, especially for the Dalit Christians in Various Levels, NCCI through the work of its member churches and organizations, repeatedly confronted with terrible injustice and gross violation of human rights meted out to the people of Scheduled caste origin regardless of their religious belief and faiths. Their struggle for being constitutionally recognized as Christians of Scheduled caste origin has not been materialized. When the Indian constitution was drafted, some special rights and privileges that were extended to scheduled castes have been denied to Dalit Christians through the Presidential Order in 1950, since then the Dalit Christians are fighting for their constitutional rights which have been denied on the basis of religion.

Rev. C. P. Charles Sundarakumar
Program Executive,
Dalit Christian Support Programme – DATA Concerns,
NCCI