Conversion has not helped Christian Dalits'

November 27, 2012

Dalits_turned_to_Christianity_demand_Vatican

Mangalore, November 27: Explaining the status of the Christian Dalits in Karnataka, Deputy Director at the Centre for studies of local culture at Kuvempu University Dr Shanmukha A and Research Scholar Shankarappa N S said that the plight of Christian Dalits has not improved in the State, despite converting from Hinduism to Christianity.

The duo was speaking at a session on 'Problems of Christian Dalits in Karnataka' at the IV international conference on 'Rethinking religion in India' at SDM Law College on Monday. Analysing the condition of Dalits who have converted to Christianity, Shankarappa said that 'discrimination' continued to exist even after their conversion.

The mainstream Christians look down upon the Christian Dalits. There is not much difference between the treatment of Dalits by upper caste Hindus and mainstream Christians. The Christians treat Christian Dalits as the people who have converted for the sake of money and other benefits. They treat converted Dalits as aliens, he said.

Pointing out a few instances where Christian Dalits are not accepted by the mainstream Christians, he said the marriages between Christian Dalits and mainstream Christians are not accepted even to this day.

The Christian Dalits and mainstream Christians do not socialise with each other and mainstream Christians keep the converted away from the functions, the research scholar expressed.

“The evil system of caste continues to exist even after the conversion. In fact, conversion is more disadvantageous, for it deprives the Christian Dalits from seeking benefits under SC and ST quota, making their life more miserable.

Conversion makes Dalits isolated, from the Hindus as well as Christians. Hence the conversion does not solve the problem faced by the Dalits, but it only adds more problem,” he said.

However, there was differences of opinion in the audience, as a scholar who was present at the venue said, the conversion has helped Dalits to gain a little more respect in the society, especially from the members of Hindu community.




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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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