A Cry for Dignity

By Jessica Goel, Richard Kujur

Kamal Masih, a lawyer practising in a region near India’s border with Pakistan, has represented many victims of discrimination and violence against Dalit Christians in Punjab state. However, Hindu nationalists claim that Christians seek to convert Dalits by offering monetary benefits. Masih counters that claim saying that discrimination against and oppression on Dalits rise and they lose their rights to affirmative action if they convert to Christianity. The Christians Masih has represented are among the country’s 24 million Christians, about 60 percent of whom are from Dalit backgrounds.