I&B min advisory will impede 'Dalit' rights movement: Amnesty

Amnesty International India said Tuesday the Centre's advisory to private satellite TV channels to refrain from using the word 'Dalit' for people belonging to Scheduled Castes will impede the Dalit rights movement from asserting itself against caste-based oppression.

"Progressive social groups adopted the term 'Dalit' in the 1970s to assert their identity in their fight against caste-based oppression. The term 'Dalit' is much more than just a word, it is a shared identity that recognises the historic discrimination faced by the community in India," Asmita Basu, Programmes Director, Amnesty International India said.

"The government has no business telling the media to not use the term 'Dalit'. Government should respect the right of Dalit groups to identify themselves in the manner they choose," she said.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued the advisory to all private satellite TV channels, urging them to refrain from using the nomenclature 'Dalit' for people belonging to Scheduled Castes in compliance with a Bombay High Court directive.

The Amnesty International India in a statement said it spoke to two private news channels who confirmed that they have received the circular.

It is unclear though whether newspapers and magazines have also received the circular. The ministry so far has not specified whether the circular was binding and did not list any action if TV news channels do not comply, the statement said.

"If the media is gagged from upholding the values of fundamental rights, this would affect the right to dignity and the right to life for those who are fighting against caste-based oppression. This will affect the identity of not only this generation, but also the future generations," Paul Diwakar, General Secretary of National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), was quoted as saying to the Amnesty International India, in the statement.

The rights body said this was not the first time the central government was objecting to the use of the term 'Dalit'.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on March 15 this year, in a letter, to chief secretaries of state governments and Union Territories said, "the Central government/state government and its functionaries would refrain from using the nomenclature 'Dalit' for the members belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as the same does not find mention in the Constitution of India or any statute," the Amnesty International said.

The advisory by the I&B Ministry, addressed to all private TV channels on August 7, referred to a June directive by the Bombay High Court asking the ministry to consider issuing a direction to the media to stop using the word 'Dalit'.

The court directive had come over a petition filed by Pankaj Meshram before the Nagpur bench of the high court.

"It is accordingly advised that media may refrain from using the nomenclature 'Dalit' while referring to members belonging to Scheduled Castes in compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court and the Constitutional term 'Scheduled Caste' in English, and its appropriate translation in other national languages should alone be used for all official transactions, matters, dealings, certificates, etc. for denoting the persons belonging to Scheduled Castes," the advisory said.

The advisory had also cited the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment circular of March 15, advising the central and state governments to use the term 'Scheduled Caste'.