GANGTOK, Aug 21: The All Sikkim Ishai Kami Damai Sarki Welfare Association (ASIKDSWA) has urged the State and Central governments to grant constitutional recognition, permanent safeguards, and equal rights to Christian members of the Kami, Damai, and Sarki communities in Sikkim.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, ASIKDSWA advisor Dev Kumar Biswakarma said the community continues to face exclusion from constitutional benefits because of a July 6, 1978 Home Ministry notification, which restricts Scheduled Caste (SC) status only to Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. The notification was extended to Sikkim shortly after its merger with India.
“The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but once a Kami, Damai, or Sarki individual embraces Christianity, they are stripped of their Scheduled Caste status. This is unjust. Our social condition remains the same, yet we are denied recognition,” said Biswakarma. He further pointed out that while Dalit Christians in other States have been categorized as OBCs, their counterparts in Sikkim remain without proper classification.
ASIKDSWA president Purna Biswakarma highlighted the consequences of this exclusion, noting that community members are barred from contesting panchayat elections, caste certificates are not issued, employment cards have been stopped, and political representation is absent. “We have status without identity. The 2 per cent job reservation given to us in 2018 under the ‘weaker sections’ category was only a temporary relief, not a constitutional safeguard,” he said.
Tracing their history, the association reminded that Christians have been present in Sikkim since 1843, when missionaries arrived with the permission of the then Chogyal, and churches were established by the 1930s. “What was granted to us by the Chogyal cannot be taken away by a 1978 notification,” members argued.
Citing Article 341 of the Constitution, the association stressed that amendments to the SC list are possible. They referred to the 1990 inclusion of Buddhist Dalits under SC protections as a precedent. “Our demand is not about religion, but about social justice, equality, and identity,” they declared.
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The association further announced that it is prepared to pursue legal remedies, including approaching the Supreme Court. It also demanded that the state government introduce a bill to provide recognition, increase reservation from 2 per cent to 5 per cent, and ensure participation in local body elections.
According to the 2011 Census, more than 40,000 Kami, Damai, and Sarki Christians live in Sikkim. The ASIKDSWA has called for collective unity to achieve long-overdue recognition and constitutional safeguards.
