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ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

MALAPPURAM CENTRE, KERALA

GCT-2 ASSIGNMENT
SOCIOLOGY-III

Topic- Problems Of Minorities In India

Submitted To Submitted By-

Dr. Faisal KP Vaibhav Teotia
Director 18Ballb03
AMUMC GJ3957
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Contents-
S.No. Particulars Pg.No

1 Introduction 3
2 Ambiguous Meaning of Term Minority 3
3 Problems faced by Religious Minorities 4-8
• The Challenge of Preserving Unique Social and
Cultural Life
• Discrimination
• Lack of representation
• Problem of protection and security
• Communal Violence
• Poverty
• Educational problems
• Acts of hatred- mob lynchings
• Question on patriotism of Minorities
• Sex Ratio problem of Sikhs and Jains
• Demographic problem of Parsi
8
Problems of linguistic minorities
4 9
Government initiative for religious minorities
5 10
Protection of linguistic minorities and Constitution
6 provision as well as NEP
7 Conclusion 10
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Introduction

Indian constitution recognise India as secular , democratic republic. India is one of the most
diverse nation in whole world either in terms or linguistic or in religious. India is home to all
major religions of the world. Hindus comprises major population followed by Muslims, Sikhs,
Jain’s, Buddhists,Parsi, Jews. Even though India have many problems but there are some
specific problems faced by Minority communities. Those problems leads to other major problem
which damages the whole socio- economic environment of the country. Such problems must be
addressed by government for prosperous development of whole nation. It has been seen that
minorities have some disadvantages in every country. Indian minorities also faces such
problems. After Independence and in recent years some major problem arise against minorities
due to political changes in India. Let us discuss the term Minority in Indian perspective and
study the problems of them in detail and try to figure out solutions for them.

Ambiguous Meaning of Term Minority

In general, Minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is
subordinate to a more dominant group
N.J.Smelser : A minority group may be defined as “a group of people who, because of their
physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they
live for differential and unequal treatment and who, therefore, regard themselves as objects of
collective discrimination”
Richard T. Schaefer : “A minority group is a sub-ordinate group whose members have
significantly less control or power over their own lives than the members of a dominant group
have over theirs”
The Constitution of India uses the term minority but does not define it any where. The Supreme
Court and various High Courts have so far depended on the statistical criterion. Any community
that does not constitute more than Minorities 50% in the state is thus called a minority.
Furthermore, the Indian Constitution recognizes two types of minorities based on language
and/or religion.
The constitution mentioned the term Minority only on two occasions in Article 29 and in Article
30 but it nowhere defines the term and no effort was made to define it. It was left at the
discretion of central government to determine what constitute minorities and they found five
religious minorities in India not bothering itself that these minorities are in fact majority in few
states. The definition provided by United Nations is any group or community which is socially,
political and economically non-dominant and inferior in population are minorities.
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Muslims are in minority in India as whole but are in in Jammu and Kashmir, similarly Sikhs in
Punjab constitute majority while remaining minority in India (as per 2011 census)
But in decision to a PIL , The court further explains the term minority in context of Article 30 and states
that: Linguistic and religious minorities are covered by the expression "minority" under Article 30 of the
Constitution. Since reorganization of the States in India has been on linguistic lines, therefore, for the
purpose of determining the minority, the unit will be the State and not the whole of India. Thus,
religious and linguistic minorities, who have been put on a par in Article 30, have to be considered state
wise.

Problems Faced By Religious Minorities in India

Minorities of ethnic, religious, racial or linguistic character of different nations of the world are
facing social , political , economical and other problems. We will take a look upon them under
different heads for better understanding-

1- The Challenge of Preserving Unique Social and Cultural Life

Article 29 of the Indian Constitution- provides all citizen groups that reside in India having a
distinct culture, language, and script, the right to conserve their culture and language. This right
is absolute and there are no ‘reasonable restrictions’ in the interest of the general public here.
But in real living in the pluralistic society , there is tough task on minorities to preserve their
distinct identities. Because of the differences in socio-cultural practices, history and
backgrounds, minorities have to grapple with the issue of identity and this give rise to the
problem of adjustment with the majority community. Minority groups attempt hard to maintain
their ethnic and cultural distinctiveness.
Because Majority of people wants them to live according to their culture and follow their life
style. It is hitting their distinct identity. However, in the constitution of India, they are given the
right to preserve their socio-cultural characteristics. It has set up a “Minorities
Commission” to help the minorities in seeking justice. Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir are
fighting to preserve their socio and cultural distinctive Identity is a good example of this.

2- Problem of Discrimination
Prejudice and discrimination are found in any situation of hostility between racial and ethnic
groups and divergent religious communities. For example , an upper caste Hindu landlord may
refuse to rent a room to someone because she or he is a Muslim or a tribal.
Minority groups are allowed to keep their distinctive qualities, yet they are still subjected to a sig
nificant deal of discrimination. Discrimination could take the form of reduced government fundi
ng for minority educational institutions, for example. In their social lives, they are frequently dis
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criminated against. As a result, minority populations tend to congregate in ghettos apart from the
majority. This is the case both in linguistic as well as religious Minority.
There are a variety of reasons for this discrimination issue, such as different eating habits (for ex
ample, Jain do not eat onion), and a large number of Sikhs, Buddhists, and Hindus consider meat
consumption to be a sin, while Muslims and Christians enjoy meat consumption. There are seve
ral misconceptions that contribute to these issues, such as the belief that all terrorists are member
s of the Muslim community, and as a result, people react negatively.

3- Lack Of Representation in Politics and Civil Services

Though the constitution provides for equality and equal opportunities to all its citizens including
the religious minorities, the biggest minority community, that is, Muslims in particular, have not
availed themselves of these facilities. There is a feeling among them that they are neglected.
However, such a feeling does not seem to be economically and educationally better than the
majority community.
Since there isn’t enough representation, there aren’t enough avenues to solve problems. Since
members of one’s society are more aware of their problems and have better solutions for them.
Minorities should be given special consideration in politics so that their issues can be handled
effectively.

4- Problem of protection and security

Minorities always feel the need for security and defence. Minority groups often seek police
protection, especially during communal violence, caste disputes, and mass celebrations of
festivals and religious functions. Different identity and their small number relative to the rest of
the society develop feeling of insecurity about their life, assets and well-being. This sense of
insecurity may get accentuated at times when relations between the majority and the minority
communities in a society are strained or not much cordial.
It is also difficult for the government in power to offer such security to all members of the
minorities. It is also very costly. State governments which fail to provide such protection are
always criticized.
For example, (i) the Rajiv Gandhi Government was severely criticized for its failure to give
protection to the Sikh community in the Union Territory of Delhi on the eve of the communal
violence that broke out there soon after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. (ii) The
Gujarat State Government was criticized for its inability to provide protection to the Muslim
minorities in the recent [Feb. Mar. – 2002] communal violence that burst out. (iii) Similarly, the
Government of Jammu-Kashmir’s inefficiency in providing adequate security to the Hindu and
Sikh minorities in that State against the atrocities of Muslim extremists is also widely
condemned.

5- Communal Tension and Violence

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It is most common problem in Northern parts of India, not only of Minorities but also of
majority. Still it’s worsening consequences affects minorities more. Communal tensions and
riots have been incessantly increasing since independence. Whenever the communal tensions
and riots take place for whatever reason, minority interests get threatened; fears and anxieties
become widespread. It becomes tough task for the government in power to restore the
confidence in them.
Many acts of violence have occurred, including the 1984 SikhMuslim riots, the Gujrat Riots, the
Muzaffarnagar Riots, and many others. The recent riots in Delhi are a clear example of how min
ority Muslims' lives have been impacted. They must flee their home in order to protect themselv
es. Many people have lost their loved ones.
We can traced the reason for this problem, why it is more in northern parts not in southern parts
of India. Because northern parts were attacked many times by Muslim leaders in history and
therefore people have grades against a particular Community.

6- Poverty – a problem of Muslim minority

As per various reports and data available, we see that minorities are much wealthier and
prosperous like Jains , Jews, Sikhs, but the largest minority in India i.e Muslims still lacks
behind in this filed too. Poverty is the very Problem of this community and they have highest
percentage of poors in all religious communities.
The Sachar committee report (for year 2004-05) claims that as much as 31 percent, precisely
one-third of Indian Muslims were dwelling below poverty line. The various reports depict the
financial position of this community of Indian population. This report stated that conditions of
Indian Muslims is even lower than SC and ST.
A report by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has brought to light
some astonishing figures, according to which three out of ten Urban Muslims are poor i.e.
officially come below the poverty line living on a monthly income of Rs 550 and less. The rural
Muslims are more troubled as they are further down the scale. One in five rural Muslims comes
below poverty line with an average monthly income of Rs. 338 throughout the year

7- Educational problems
It is known to all that minority Jain’s are most educated Community in India even more than
majority Hindus . But Muslim community is facing educational problems. Sacchar Committee
Report was the first attempt to identify Muslims problems related to education and it has been
proved that Muslims are actually facing problems in education.
According to recent data collected by National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) in 2006,
only 3.6% of Muslims who are above the twenties are college graduates, 54.6% Muslims in
Villages and 60% in urban areas never went to schools. There are 3.1% of the Muslims
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community in urban areas and 1.2% who are postgraduates. In rural areas only 0.8% of Muslims
are graduates. The committee also found that there are insufficient numbers of government
schools in Muslim majority areas that’s why less number of children attending the school. And
shockingly there is only 6% share of Muslims in government jobs in every field, especially in
high Muslim population states.
Lack of education leads to unemployment and which ultimately leads to Poverty and the cycle
continues. However , Article 30 of the Indian Constitution states the right of minorities to
establish and administer educational institutions. It says: “All minorities, whether based on
religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of
their choice.”

8- Acts of Hatred – Mob lynching

Right wing extremist lynched Muslims in the name of cow protection, whom they consider
sacred and mother. India has witnessed large number of cases of hate crimes like lynching.
Dadri lynching is leading Evidence not such hatred.
Recently, two catholic sisters were dragged out of train in UP also molested by some
orthodox groups , as they alleged them as forceful converters. Such incidents not only affect
lives of minorities but also increases the hatred towards whole community. In long run such
hatred takes the colour of communal violence and leads to very serious and disastrous
consequences into loss of money, life, house and peace as well as law and order.
Minorities come under the cloud of fear of such incidents. Ironically, these kind of acts are
increasing and it becomes a habit of some organization and their activists. This is hitting the
roots of Indian democracy.
According to a Reuters report, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred in India
between 2010 and mid 2017, most after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in
2014. In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, “28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims –
were killed and 124 injured”, states the Reuter’s report.

9- Question on patriotism of Minorities

Not only in India, but in every world, minorities face doubts about their love and reverence for th
eir motherland. Similarly, Muslims are targeted more than any other community in this regard. T
hey were still questioning their patriotism. People's attitudes toward minorities lead them to lose
faith and cause mental disorders.During the ongoing Kishan Andolan, many people on social
media targeted the Sikh community for their nationalism. In India, there is a new trend that
opposing the government equates to opposing the nation. Minorities are still caught and
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defamed in this trend. For the sake of the nation’s and citizens’ safety, such activities must be
prevented.

10- Sex Ratio Problem of Sikhs and Jain’s

As per 2011 census, the child sex ratio among Hindu was 925 girls against 1,000 boys, Muslims
950 girls, Christians 964 girls, Sikhs 786 girls, Buddhists 942 girls and Jains 870 girls against
1,000 boys. Sikhs and Jains have the worst sex ratio in the country. Sex ratio among Sikhs is
poor despite relatively high affluence of the community.

11-Demographic problems of Parsi Minorities

The real problem confronting the community is not political but demographic – one of the
steadily declining numbers. They are the most affluent minority community in India, but their
numbers are dwindling. The 2011 Census found that the Parsi population has declined by 18 per
cent to 57,264 in a decade, virtually reducing them to the status of an urban tribe while in the
same decade total population of India increased by around 17.64 per cent.

Problems of Linguistic Minorities

Indian sub-continent and the various historical forces have brought into the land people with
different ethnic origins and varying culture based on religion, language and philosophy of life.
Linguistic diversity is one of the marked features of the Indian society. Neither the constitution
nor any piece of legislation however defines linguistic minority. It was in 1971, in the case of
DAV College etc. v/s State of Punjab, and other cases, that the Supreme Court of India defined a
linguistic minority as a minority that at least has a spoken language, regardless of having a script
or not. In the case of TA Pai Foundation and Others vs State of Karnataka, it further held that
the status of linguistic minority is to be determined in the context of states and not India as a
whole. A linguistic minority is a class of people whose mother tongue is different from that of
the majority in the state or part of a state. the constitution provides for the protection of the
interests of linguistic minorities.
The crucial problem areas vis-a-vis linguistic minorities are
(i) the right to instruction in their mother-tongue,
(ii) the Use of minority languages for official purposes, and
(iii) the recruitment of minorities to state services.
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For example , The Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities in Kasaragod district, settled along
Kerala’s border with Karnataka, are deprived of their Constitutional rights to have easy access to
government service in their mother tongue. All judicial and governmental orders to have both
Malayalam and Kannada as the bilingual means for official communication in the border areas
still remain on paper.

Since then, they have been at the mercy of translators to draft applications or reports, especially
those pertaining to the Law and Revenue departments.

Government Initiatives for religious Minorities-

The Government has taken various steps to improve socio-economic and educational status of
Minority communities
• PM’s New 15 PP is an overarching programme
Covering various schemes/initiatives of the participating Ministries/Departments and is
implemented throughout the country.The programme has four objectives further divided into
focus areas with schemes under them. These are as follows:
❖ Enhancing Opportunities for Education
❖ Equitable Share in Economic Activities and Employment
❖ Improving the Conditions of Living of Minorities
❖ Prevention and Control of Communal Riots

• USTAAD
a) The Scheme aims at upgrading Skills and Training in preservation of traditional Ancestral
Arts/Crafts of minorities.
• Hamari Darohar
a) The Scheme aims to preserve rich heritage of minority communities in context of Indian
culture.
• Khwaza Garib Nawaz Senior Secondary School
a) Will be established at Ajmer by Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) to give a fillip
to minority education.
b) A bridge course to bridge the academic and skill development gaps of the deeni Madrasa pass
outs with their mainstream counterparts.
• Strengthening of State Wakf Boards
a) The scheme envisages to provide assistance for meeting the training and administrative cost of
State Wakf Boards
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b) Removal of encroachment from Wakf Properties and also strengthening of Zonal/Regional

offices of Wakf Boards.
• Nai Roshni
a) The scheme is envisaged to reach out to women through nongovernmental organizations who
will be provided with financial support
b) conducting leadership development trainings so that women are empowered and emboldened
to move out of the confines of home and community
• Minority Cyber Gram
a) The MCG programme seeks to introduce digital literacy skills in identified minority clusters
in India
b) through designated Digital Fellows towards knowledge empowerment and entitlement gains
of minority focused groups and beneficiaries.

The protection of linguistic minorities

• The Constitutional Provisions
Article 30 (1) of the Constitution of India provides a fundamental right to linguistic minorities to
establish and administer educational institutes of their choice. The Constitution however, under
Article 351, provides a directive to the Union to promote the usage of Hindi across India, so that
it can serve as a medium of expression among the diverse population. This provision has an
imperialising effect on the speakers of languages other than Hindi, and linguistic minorities are
the ones who face the blunt of it, especially when English is also promoted across the country at
the cost of local and regional languages.
The Constitution of India (Article 350 A) provides that every state must provide primary
education in a mother tongue and also provide for the appointment of a ‘Special Officer’ for
linguistic minorities (Article 350 B), who is responsible to investigate matters relating to
linguistic minorities and report them to the President.

• New Education policy lays emphasis on learning in mother tongue

As per New Education policy of India announced by Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal
Nisahank , “Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably
till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language, mother tongue, local language or the
regional language. Thereafter, the home or local language shall continue to be taught as a
language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools,” the
policy states.

Conclusion
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From above discussion we have seen that , minorities whether Linguistic or religious are facing
great numbers of challenges in their daily life specially Muslim community. Muslim community
even being a largest majority and the second highest Muslim population in the word is lacking
behind from every Community in every aspect except sex ratio. Whereas Sikh community
having problems of sex ratio and drug habits in youth. Similarly Parsi, being prosperous and
wealthier Community still facing demographic challenges and it increases in near years. Even
though India have similar problems for all communities but there are specific problems like
discrimination and hatred crimes which are particularly deals with minorities. We as a country
must stand against these with full courage and try to prevent them. India cannot Develop unless
or until any Community remains backward.