On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha DMK member P. Wilson called on the Union government to give the National Commission on Minorities (NCM) constitutional status and increase its investigative and enforcement capabilities to help it protect the rights of the minority groups more effectively.
Bringing it up in Zero Hour, Wilson claimed that the problem struck to the very core of the Constitution and was concerned by an increase in targeted violence toward minorities over the last several years. He mentioned the cases of mob lynching, assault of pastors and priests, and the cases of church and mosque vandalization, using facts to support his arguments.
Wilson had also claimed that anti-conversion laws in some states are also being abused in order to place several FIRs including that of underage. According to him, almost 400 cases have been initiated since 2020 under such laws and it led to the arrest of approximately 1,200 people and many of them were acquitted after spending months in custody.
He said that these developments are assaults on the very constitutional promise of equality, secularism and religious freedom and that institutional protections are all the more necessary in a time when minorities are in need of protection.
The DMK leader indicated that the office of chairperson, vice-chairperson and NCM members are still full of vacancies, some of which are more than three years. The existence of such vacancies over such a long period of time, he argued, undermines the effectiveness of the commission and sends a worrisome message on how such minority protections are taken.
He also remembered that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment had previously suggested the NCM be given constitutional status in order to become more effective in its efforts on discrimination and marginalisation.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News