Violence against Dalits and minorities are spreading in India.
AB Wire
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), one of the prominent advocacy organizations of Indian Muslims in the United States, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged atrocities against Dalits in different parts of India.
IAMC said in a press statement that the inquiry should cover not only the recent atrocities against Dalits but an inclusive investigation into the functioning of “cow protection” groups and their near total disregard for the law.
“The Central administration should institute a CBI inquiry whose mandate should go beyond the recent atrocities against Dalits, and include the investigation of “gau raksha” or “cow protection” committees set up across the country,” IAMC said.
The organization alleged that while the violence against Dalits and minorities are spreading under the government led by the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains noncommittal on taking strict action against the perpetrators of the crimes.
Violence by militant groups related to cow slaughter, possession of beef and transport of cattle has assumed an organized and institutionalized character under the present administration, IAMC said.
“We demand that those brought to book for the anti-Dalit atrocities should include, besides the perpetrators of the crimes, those who seek to create conditions that enable and justify such violence, in the name of protecting the cow,” said Mr. Umar Malick, President of the Indian American Muslim Council.
“The latest round of atrocities against ‘lower caste’ communities that have endured centuries of cruelty, should serve as a unifying call to all who care about justice and the rule of law,” added Malick.
IAMC also urged that global human rights organizations, as well as international media, should intensify their scrutiny of the treatment meted out to India’s Dalits and religious minorities.