Tribals, Dalits pledge to work for rights

Bishop officials in the region addressed gathering stressing that that peace would be impossible without justice, and no development could happen without peace.

Raipur:  Tribal and dalit leaders from northern states concluded a two-day seminar last week in Raipur pledging to fight for their basic rights of land and water and work for the equality of women in society.

Some select leaders from 60 Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, who head different organizations working towards a just and peaceful human society attended the March 11-12 seminar organized by the Office for Justice, Peace and Development – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (OJPD-CBCI).

Bishop officials in the region addressed gathering stressing that that peace would be impossible without justice, and no development could happen without peace.

The church has a great role to play in working towards justice and to ensue rights and dignity to our workers, said Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur, the chairperson of OJPD-CBCI.

Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, Bishop Immanuel Kerketta of Jashpur and Vicar general Father Sebastian Poomattam of Raipur, secretary of JPD from Chhattisgarh Region also attended the seminar.

Father Charles Irudayam, secretary of OJPD-CBCI, who organized the seminar explained social activism from the perspective of Christian spirituality. He stressed the Christian responsibility to build a just and peaceful society.

He said the seminar aimed to inspire, to guide and to animate justice workers at national level. He explained that the development is a movement from less human conditions to more human conditions.

Gladson Dung Dung, a human right activist presented highlighted the issues of the tribal and dalit such as displacement, low budget allotment and the right to life.

He also focused on the changes brought in the land acquisition Act, which now takes away the social impact assessment and mandatory consent of community. Without these two aspects, the bill gives immense powers to the state to take over any land, he pointed out.

He also explained how the poor, especially the tribals and dalit communities are victimized in a globalized culture because of human trafficking human trafficking and modern-day slavery of bounded labor.

Rights activist Father Ajay Kumar Singh of the Odisha Regional Forum from the archdiocese of Cuttack Bhubaneswar spoke about the empowerment of dalit and their issues in the region.

High court lawyer Sudha Bharadhwaj spoke “woman rights and issues” and urged participants to work to end male dominance in society and to work towards the dignity, equality of woman.

A session started with an awareness song of “we will not give up our land.” In that session Dungdung made a presentation, which showed how different agencies encroach on forest areas, the natural habitat of tribal people.

Source: Press relase