Dalits facing discrimination under 'supervision' of govt, alleges Congress

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday alleged the rights of Dalits are under attack in the country as "an ideology inspired by Manusmriti is in power".

On the anniversary of B R Ambedkar's formal initiation into Buddhism, the opposition party claimed that remembering the architect of India's Constitution on this day becomes even more important as the existence of every Dalit in the country was being "undermined".

"Dalit people are facing discrimination under the supervision of the very government and institutions that should be protecting constitutional values," Congress leader Mahima Singh said at a press conference here.

"Today, an ideology inspired by Manusmriti holds power in the country and is continuously attacking the rights of Dalits," she alleged.

Singh went on to list recent incidents of alleged injustice against Dalits in the country.

"As October began, we witnessed some shocking incidents... On October 2, a 38-year-old man named Hariom Valmiki was beaten to death in Rae Bareli on false charges of theft. On October 6, an attempt was made to throw a shoe at the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. On October 9, another tragic incident occurred, in which IPS officer Y Puran Kumar committed suicide," she said.

The Congress leader asked, "Do criminals have the tacit approval of the government in the country of Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb? Is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls 'Amrit kaal', actually a cursed period" for Dalits?" "Why didn't the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah visit the family of Y Puran Singh? Why did Narendra Modi take so long to speak to the Chief Justice of India?" she posed further.

Singh further listed several incidents in various parts of the country of injustice to Dalits and slammed the government. PTI ASK NSD NSD