Hyderabad: Concerned at the rise in attacks on SCs and STs in Telangana, Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Friday appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to protect Dalits.
He said a separate law for curbing violence against the LGBT community was in the pipeline.
At a press conference in the city, Mr Athawale said there were 10,411 SC/ ST atrocity cases in Telangana during the past five years and an average 30 murder per year.
He stressed the importance of inter-caste marriages in eradicating this social evil. He wanted more awareness of the consequences of insulting and humiliating dalits over caste.
“Though Telangana is a small state, there are a high number of atrocity cases,” Mr Athawale said.
“I appeal to the Telangana CM to look into the issue with care,” the Union minister said.
Around 4,658 inter-caste marriages took place in the state during the past five years. “Inter-caste marriage is the only way to eradicate caste discrimination,” he said. “I have learnt this from my marriage.” He urged the state government to come up with initiatives to encourage inter-caste marriages.
