US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI9078

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 009078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KIRF, PHUM, PREL, SCUL, KDEM, ELAB, IN, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: RESPONSE FOR INFORMATION REQUEST ON DALITS 
 
REF: A. STATE 208264 
     B. NEW DELHI 8266 
     C. NEW DELHI 4761 
 
1. (U) This cable is a response to Reftel A requesting 
information regarding the treatment of Dalits in India. 
Please read Reftels B and C in conjunction with this cable 
for a thorough picture of the issue. The following is posts 
response to Paragraph 6 questions: 
 
2.  (U) Question 1: How is the Embassy addressing the Dalit 
issue with the GOI, with the Indian private sector, and with 
the broader public? 
 
-- Response: Over the years, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates 
have been working with Dalit individuals and organizations to 
address human rights concerns that stem from caste 
discrimination.  The majority of these NGOs and individuals 
address social evils such as child labor and caste 
discrimination and promote equal rights for marginalized 
groups.  For instance, the Public Affairs office at Consulate 
General Chennai facilitated a small grant to the NGO 
Navajeevan Trust based in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. 
Navajeevan Trust works towards eradication of child labor 
from the Dalit community, and is a typical example of the 
type of NGO we have worked with. 
 
-- The Mission continued to reach out to the Dalit community 
through the International Visitor's Program (IVP) and 
nominated Dalit candidates with outstanding skills and 
willingness to serve their community.  Examples of such IVP 
participants include: (1) a medical doctor by profession, Dr. 
Krishnaswamy has emerged as a leader of the Dalits of Tamil 
Nadu through his political party, Puthiya Thamilagam.  The 
only professional from a Dalit family, he has campaigned 
against "untouchability" and other forms of social 
oppression.  (2)  R. Ilango - a grassroots political/social 
worker from a Dalit background resigned from a reputed 
government engineering research institute to serve his Dalit 
village and uplift villagers from poverty.  His village, 
Koothambakkam in Tamil Nadu has emerged as a model for other 
Dalit villages in the state.  (3)  Henri Tiphagne, Executive 
Director of People's Watch, one of the most professional 
human rights NGOs in south India, and particularly active in 
the area of Dalit rights. 
 
-- The Embassy also supports Dalit NGOs and awarded a grant 
of US$18,000 to the Center for Alternative Dalit Media 
(CADAM) and partner NGO SWECHHA (We for Yamuna) to promote 
environmental education and awareness related to the Yamuna 
River, India's largest fresh water source. 
 
-- On September 1-2, 2005 the Embassy organized a series of 
lecture discussions for Dr. Brenda Flanagan, a writer and 
professor of Caribbean and African American literature at 
Davidson College in North Carolina, who emphasized the need 
to bring multi-culturalism and diversity into literature. 
Dalit audience members drew parallels between the U.S. 
immigrant experience, the legacy of slavery, the U.S. Civil 
Rights Movement, affirmative action, and the current state of 
race relations in America, and commented that the lessons 
learned could be well used in India. 
 
-- As part of its 2005 Black History Month outreach, the 
Embassy arranged a DVC program with Professor of Economics 
William Darity from the University of North Carolina, Chapel 
Hill, who gave an overview of the history of affirmative 
action in the United States.  Darity's overview was followed 
by remarks by Professor S.K. Thorat, an economics professor 
from Jawaharlal Nehru University, who is currently the 
Director of the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies.  Professor 
Thorat spoke about the condition of Dalits and untouchables 
in India, noting that affirmative action is similar to the 
policy of reservations for Dalits.  Professor Darity then 
answered questions about how affirmative action is enforced 
in the United States.  This program brought together an 
eminent U.S. scholar on African American rights and a group 
of prominent Dalit scholars who discussed similarities and 
differences among the plight of African Americans and the 
underprivileged castes in India and raised the awareness of 
affirmative action and the civil rights movement in the 
United States. 
 
-- In February 2004, the Embassy organized a program with 
Suzan Lori Parks, an award-winning African American 
playwright and writer, and Professor Thorat during which they 
compared the struggle of Dalits to that of African Americans. 
 
-- Consulate Chennai also facilitated several visits of 
various individuals and groups to a training center for Dalit 
youths in Tamil Nadu.  The Center is run by Henry Thiagraj, 
the Managing Trustee of the Dalit Liberation Education Trust. 
-- On several occasions U.S. Consulate Chennai officers spoke 
with south Indian business leaders on the Dalit issue and on 
private sector reservations in particular.  Business leaders 
unanimously opposed job reservations in the private sector on 
the grounds that it would impede India's economic development 
and ability to compete with other low labor cost countries. 
(Comment:  Post does not advocate private sector reservations 
with the GOI, in that it would be contrary to our economic 
liberalization agenda and hypocritical to press for programs 
that experts agree would be ruled unconstitutional in the 
U.S.  End Comment.) 
 
-- Our business leader contacts told us that the currently 
functioning reservation system for positions in institutions 
of higher learning provides equal opportunity for members of 
all groups to develop needed skills and knowledge, and that 
the only criteria for selection for positions in business, 
particularly positions in the high tech knowledge industry, 
should be ability and knowledge brought to the job.  Caste is 
not a significant issue in India's IT sector. 
 
-- The issue of discrimination against Dalits, as well as 
other minority groups in the country, is a constant topic of 
conversation between Mission officers and their 
interlocutors.  FSOs regularly attend meetings with Dalit 
rights activists and conferences highlighting discrimination 
against Dalits, such as the Center for Social Research's 
April 2005 conference entitled "Dalit Women in Politics." 
Also, the Annual Human Rights Report, describes in-depth the 
discrimination faced by Dalits, and is closely read by GOI 
officials. 
 
3.  (U) How much USAID funding benefits the Dalit community, 
and has post heard of allegations of U.S. assistance being 
directed away from some beneficiaries? 
 
-- Response: USAID does not break down beneficiaries of its 
programs by caste.  The agency does have a number of programs 
operating in regions with large Dalit communities, but does 
not earmark programs by caste, race or ethnicity.  USAID 
programs are determined by need, poverty levels and 
government priorities, and many such programs help Dalits, as 
they often fit into these categories.  The Embassy has 
investigated reports that claim USAID funds have been 
siphoned away from Dalits, specifically those relating to the 
relief effort after the December 2004 tsunami, and found no 
evidence to confirm such accusations. 
 
-- The question of whether aid from the GOI was diverted away 
from Dalits was raised in January 2005 shortly after the 
tsunami.  At the time Mission talked with a number of 
 
SIPDIS 
contacts and provided the following assessment: 
 
-- UNICEF: UNICEF officials in Chennai deny having 
encountered any discrimination by fishermen or by the local 
government. 
 
-- The Federation of Consumer Organizations in Tamil Nadu 
(FEDCOT) - Cuddalore: According to FEDCOT, which is involved 
in relief and rehabilitation work in 45 villages near 
Cuddalore, the district administration did not discriminate 
against backward Dalit or tribal castes.  However, it noted 
that some local fishing communities hindered the distribution 
of relief materials to lower castes. 
 
-- FEDCOT - Nagapattinam noted that there were a few isolated 
cases in which the government and/or fishermen discriminated 
against Dalits.  However, with increased NGO and government 
scrutiny, the situation is changing rapidly. 
 
-- Nagapattinam District Collector: According to Mr. 
Radhakrishnan, the government's initial relief packages were 
destined to "homeless people," a designation that was 
misinterpreted to mean only fishermen.  This was because the 
majority of the homeless were from fishing communities.  Once 
the government clarified that the package was for all those 
who lost their livelihoods, there was no problem distributing 
relief materials to Dalits. 
 
-- People's Watch: According to Executive Director Henri 
Tiphagne, "Dalits have experienced conscious discrimination 
in relief camps.  Village administrative officers have denied 
relief materials to the people Dalits involved in inland 
fishing." 
 
-- Consulate Chennai reported that it is very likely that 
higher-caste fishing communities have discriminated against 
Dalit communities and have prevented them from receiving aid. 
 While isolated cases of government apathy or negligence may 
exist, there does not seem to be any evidence of a systemic 
plan to favor one community at the expense of another. 
 
4.  (U) Why do Dalits who convert to Christianity or Islam 
not have access to reservations, when Dalits who convert to 
Buddhism or Sikhism continue to be considered for 
reservations? 
 
-- Response: Our interlocutors told us that the reason 
converts to Buddhism and Sikhism do not lose reservations is 
that both these religions originated out of Hindu reform 
movements and the legacy of caste discrimination remains 
prevalent in the them.  Once Dalits switch to Islam and 
Christianity, whose fundamental tenets are guided by an 
ideology of social egalitarianism, the concept of social 
status and stratification determined by birth, and the 
associated lack of social mobility, is no longer applicable. 
 
-- It should be noted that caste/class discrimination is not 
solely practiced by high-caste Hindus against the lower 
castes and Dalits.  The stratification within the Dalit 
community results in extensive discrimination by higher-level 
Dalits against lower-level Dalits.  There is also extensive 
discrimination within the Christian community by older, 
ancestral Christians against Dalit Christian converts.  There 
have been a number of instances reported in the press in 
which established Christians refuse to pray with Dalit 
converts and bar them from entering their churches.  Muslim 
society in India also has an extensive caste structure, 
including Dalits. 
 
5.  (U) Does Embassy new Delhi have any information on the 
Supreme Court Case reviewing the Presidential Order of 1950 
which extends quotas only to Hindu Dalits? 
 
-- Response: The Supreme Court has reported it will hear the 
writ petition seeking review of the order in February 2006. 
Also, the government convened the Justice Ranganath Misra 
Commission to study the issue, which is slated to be 
completed by April 2006. 
 
6.  (U) Are Dalits who convert to Islam or Christianity still 
socially treated as Dalits? 
 
-- Response: Many Hindus, Muslims, Christians and other 
higher-strata Dalits still treat Dalit converts socially as 
Dalits.  Our interlocutors noted that caste-based 
discrimination in urban areas is on the decline, but is still 
quite prevalent in rural areas.  They also stated that it 
could take generations for these deep-rooted religious and 
social beliefs to change, even with the concerted efforts of 
the government and an active NGO community. 
 
7.  (U) What is the GOI's assessment of these concerns? 
 
-- Response: The GOI views caste-based discrimination as 
illegal and has a ministry (The Ministry of Social Justice 
and Empowerment) tasked to combat the problem.  However, in 
many cases programs designed to benefit the Dalit community, 
like many other GOI programs, often are not implemented due 
to government apathy or bureaucratic inefficiency.  For 
example, a press report in the Times of India reported that a 
program to eliminate human scavenging, the practice where 
Dalits manually clean sewers and latrines, has been a 
complete failure.  The Central Government allocated Rps. 200 
crore  (USD 47 million) to the Ministry for Urban Employment 
and Poverty Alleviation to convert latrines needing manual 
cleaning to twin-pit latrines, which do not require humans to 
carry away the excrement.  The Times of India reported that 
in three years, the Ministry only spent USD 4.4 million and 
the funding is slated to be canceled due to lack of use. 
This weak implementation exemplifies the problems that occur 
throughout the Indian government, with a detrimental effect 
on all of its citizens, Dalits included.  The under-funding 
and under-utilization of funds for education is also a major 
problem.  A large part of the government's strategy to 
improve the livelihood of Dalits is focused on reservations 
in the education system.  However, many students, 
particularly in rural areas, never have the chance to access 
reservations in the university system because the lack of 
adequate primary education. 
 
-- The government is faced with the incredibly difficult 
challenge of changing the cultural and religious perception 
of caste.  The caste system, developed over thousands of 
years, pigeonholes Indians into specific occupations at birth 
and restricts their social mobility.  The belief by many in 
the religious concept of Karma, that individuals' caste 
ranking is determined by their actions in a prior life, 
legitimizes this system because many Indians believe that the 
lower castes have been punished for past wrongs.  Higher 
caste members often feel they are entitled to their position 
because of honorable living or good deeds committed in their 
past life.  The other tenet of importance is Dharma, which 
states that a person must do his/her duty in his/her societal 
position to advance to a higher caste in the next life.  In 
the interpretation of many Indians, those that refuse to 
uphold their Dharma by attempting to pull themselves up and 
change their status in society during this life, will plummet 
farther in the caste system in their next life.  These 
beliefs are tightly held by much of the Indian population, 
including many individuals in government.  Our interlocutors 
noted that discrimination against Dalits will remain 
prevalent in this society until there is a popular 
re-examination of this deeply-rooted system.  (Comment: The 
popular perception is that Mahatma Gandhi called for the 
eradication of the caste system upon Indian independence. 
However, he did not call for the termination of the system, 
but for the end of "untouchability" and discrimination based 
on caste.  Our interlocutors have told us that many Gandhians 
have endeavored to implement his teachings by attempting to 
implement a social "separate but equal" status for all 
castes.  End Comment.) 
 
8.  (U) In recent years, economic growth, land reform and 
growing urbanization has helped some Dalits improve their 
financial and social status.  Dalits who grew up in urban 
areas tend to have access to better schools, and as a result, 
get a better education and are more likely to receive a 
reserved seat in the university system.  Dalits living in 
urban areas are also more likely to escape caste restrictions 
and ritual pollution and obtain access to higher paying and 
better jobs.  Also, interlocutors state that a "silent 
revolution" is taking place and many Dalits are asserting 
themselves in politics and are no longer afraid to confront 
the ruling elite and vote them out.  Political parties 
dominated by higher castes have begun to realize that they 
often cannot win elections without the support of low-caste 
and Dalit parties, and therefore must respond to their 
demands.  Our interlocutors assert that India's active and 
vibrant democracy and burgeoning economic growth and 
corresponding urbanization could be the catalyst for a 
gradual shift in the social equation in the coming decade, 
away from caste discrimination and towards a more egalitarian 
society. 
MULFORD