Visakhapatnam: Dalits stage protest against court verdict

Visakhapatnam: Dalita Hakkula Porata Samiti (DHPS) State president J V Prabhakar alleged that the Madras High Court's judgment on religious conversion was 'unconstitutional' and that reservations should be implemented based on caste only.

Speaking at a press conference at Dr B R Ambedkar Bhavan here on Saturday, Prabhakar wondered whether there was no freedom for the Dalits to change their religion in the country.

Further, Prabhakar mentioned that Legal Rights Observatory convener Vinay Joshi has filed several cases against Dalits, tribals and minorities. He alleged that it was a part of the 'conspiracy' to end the reservations by teaming up with the RSS.

DHPS State secretary B Venkata Rao said freedom of religion as enshrined in the Constitution should be protected. He demanded the State government to challenge the High Court's verdict in the Supreme Court.

Later, staging a protest, the Dalit leaders burnt an effigy of Joshi.

Dalit leaders M Rambabu, A Raja, RP Raju, BG Mohan, Siddhartha, Ch Suryam and others participated in the protest.