Editor,
The article titled ‘Religion without Conscience Collapses into Disaster: Michael Syiem Affirms by Salil Gewali’, is very enlightening. Firstly, my thanks go to our veteran social activist Michael Syiem for his inspiring musical play, which highlights the growing number of false god-men who mislead believers. The act of demolishing mosques, temples and churches springs from a tragic lack of true knowledge and reverence for God as emphasized by Gewali.
From personal observation, I cannot figure out what makes certain priests and pastors use every possible means to convert others, insisting that what we believe is not genuine religion and cannot lead us to heaven. Why does their faith allow them to look down on others? Those who are busy in conversion are often involved in corrupt practices, and how can they then ensure salvation for anyone? So many of our political leaders are corrupt, yet Bishops and Archbishops regularly visit them as if they were holy persons. Such hypocrisy is unacceptable in any religion.
I think we would do better to devote ourselves to humanitarian service, for that alone is more pleasing to Christ than following a religion that teaches its followers to treat other faiths as inferior. True Christianity calls us to love our neighbor, to serve the poor, and to walk humbly with God.
Yours etc.,
Robert Lyngdoh,
Via email
Compassionate reform, not forced invisibility solutions
Editor,
Responding to your editorial published on 14 April concerning the presence of sex workers in the city centre and near places of worship, I wish to state that the unease expressed by citizens is understandable. Yet, beyond this discomfort lies a more pressing moral question—are we genuinely trying to resolve this issue, or merely pushing it out of public view?
History has shown, time and again, that enforcement alone does not erase such practices. Raids and arrests may offer temporary relief and a sense of order, but they do little to address the conditions that give rise to the problem. Instead, they often drive it underground, where exploitation deepens and human suffering becomes less visible, but far more severe.
It is important to recognise an uncomfortable truth: for many involved, this is not a matter of choice, but of compulsion. Poverty, lack of education, unemployment, and social neglect leave individuals with few, if any, alternatives. In such circumstances, survival takes precedence over dignity. To condemn without understanding these realities is to overlook the very roots of the issue.
If the true intention is to bring an end to this practice, then our approach must move beyond punishment and towards transformation. We cannot expect individuals to abandon their only source of livelihood without offering them a viable and dignified alternative. Sustainable change lies in creating opportunities—through education, skill development, rehabilitation, and social support systems that allow people to rebuild their lives.
At the same time, there must be absolute and uncompromising action against trafficking and exploitation. Those who manipulate, coerce, and profit from the vulnerability of others—especially minors—must face the strictest consequences under the law. This is where the full strength of enforcement must be directed.
However, a society is ultimately judged not by how it treats the privileged, but by how it responds to those on its margins. If our response is driven only by discomfort and condemnation, we risk deepening the very problem we seek to eliminate.
The path forward requires both courage and compassion—the courage to rethink long-held assumptions, and the compassion to see individuals not as nuisances to be removed, but as lives to be restored.
If we truly seek change, let it not be one that merely cleanses our streets, but one that heals our society.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj,
Via email
Unfortunate loss of SC status for Dalit Christians
Editor,
The Supreme Court judgment of March 24,2026 has declared that Scheduled Castes who have embraced Christianity and Muslim faiths will henceforth be deprived of Scheduled caste status lock stock and barrel! It may be pertinent to recall that the Apex court has expressively affirmed that individuals who convert to religions other than Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism will automatically stand to lose the Schedule Caste window of opportunities, thereby deprived of job-reservation and legal protection as envisaged under Articles 15,17 and 46 of the Constitution. Further, the converted Dalits will be deprived of the legacy of being protected from violence /discrimination against the SC and ST, as per an Act of1989 that was endorsed by our Parliament.
Incidentally, this franchise was at first instance exclusively accorded to Hindu followers, but subsequently the same was extended to the Sikhism in 1956 and to Buddhism in 1990 to the list of religions, whose Dalit members are eligible for SC status. Perhaps, it was believed that these three religious identities were the offshoot of the same tree of faith! It may be a point of note that Christians in lndia constitute a minuscule 2.3% of the national population. Furthermore, 21% of them are Scheduled Caste Dalits. It infers that millions of both these communities (Muslims and Christians) will have to forgo access to reservations and legal protection, especially the BPL categories. Henceforth with no more legal shield for them!
The pre-eminent arguments that Muslims and Christians are denied Schedule Caste social standing is premised on the fact that these classes do not theologically recognize caste systems, but this is arguably unmaintainable as some experts have since contested that neither Buddhism nor Sikhism practise such categorization! Meaningfully, some critics have argued that this said denial of the privilege in question is unjustifiable as caste discrimination persists among Christians and Muslims. Markedly, YS Sharmila, a Congress Committee President of Andhra Pradesh and the daughter of former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy, has gone on record asserting that such societal deprivations to Scheduled Caste Dalits smack of BJP’s conspiracy and furthering her argument, she has boldly doubted if PM Modi has taken control of the Apex Court as well. Her contention may be presupposed by the fact that she bemoaned the plight of the 80 lakhs Dalit Christians of Andhra Pradesh as unjust and impulsive thereby weakening the spirit of the Constitution!
The foregoing developments may have a domino effect of sorts on the Schedule Tribes of India in general and the North-East in particular given that Scheduled Tribes are by and large residing in the latter region. lncidentally, while brainstorming with some of my friends on the plight of the Dalit Christians following the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling, one of them commented that the instant Supreme Court judgment may be keenly observed by the indigenous religions of the land of Hynñewtrep, and they must be ķeeping a beady eye on the resultant Apex court ruling and its adverse fallout against their tribal brethren who are steadily but significantly converting to Christianity round the year!
Yours etc
Jerome K Diengdoh,
Shillong-2
