MUMBAI, India – A black flag was hoisted at St Mary’s Cathedral in Madurai, a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, as part of a demonstration led by Antonysamy Savarimuthu and Anglican Bishop Jeyasingh Prince Prabhakaran.

This year, August 10 marked the 75th anniversary of the Scheduled Caste Presidential Order of August 10, 1950, which denied affirmative action to Dalit Christians.

The term “Dalit” refers to the “untouchables” under India’s ancient caste system, meaning people considered unclean and therefore traditionally ostracized. Although caste distinctions were officially abolished by the Indian constitution in 1949, they remain strong in popular culture and the Dalits have traditionally been among India’s most impoverished communities.

Addressing reporters, Savarimuthu said the demand was not for any special favor but for rightful entitlements.

“This is not a protest of Dalit Christians or Christians alone; it is not a minority protest. Every citizen must get their rights,” he said. He noted that Dalit Sikhs and Buddhists were included in the Scheduled Caste list after protests, but Dalit Christians have been denied the same for 75 years on religious grounds.

August 10 is termed the “Black Day” by Dalit Christians and Muslims in India and marked by demonstrations from both communities.

“Though the Indian Constitution is highly revered by the people across the globe, the principles enshrined in that should be fully implemented,” said Savarimuthu at the rally in Madurai.

Savarimuthu said August 10 of every year was observed as a black day for Dalit Christians as their demand to bring them under Scheduled Caste list was yet to be fulfilled.

“It is not just the protest staged by Christians, Muslims or minorities, but by those who believe in the Indian Constitution,” the archbishop said, according to The Hindu.

“The demand has been on since the 1950s. What is our birth right – the status of SC/ST – cannot be taken away from us just because we have converted to Christianity,” he said.

Archbishop Francis Kalist of Pondicherry and Cuddalore addressed the large gathering of the Black Day Protest at Cuddalore.

“Indian Christians will continue their protest until Dalit Christians are included in the SC list. Religious discrimination is against the Indian Constitution,” he said.

Father Z. Devasagaya Raj, who has served as the Executive Secretary of the CBCI Office for Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, said demonstrations demanding the removal of this order have been organized in different parts of India.

“Many of the political parties support this demand,” he told Crux.

“Right wing parties are not in favor of including Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Caste list saying it will lead to the conversion of Dalit Hindus to Christianity. But it is not so. The argument is a wrong estimation of Dalits, suggesting that they would change their religion for little favors,” Raj said.

“The present government has appointed a commission under the retired Judge Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan. It bought more time to submit the report and prolonging the time to submit the report,” he explained.

Balakrishnan was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 2007 to 2010, and later as served as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India.

“We believe in the merit of the case and hope to get a positive judgement from the court,” Raj told Crux.