National Commission for Minorities to study minority status for Hindus in 7 states and a Union Territory

The National Commission for Minorities has set up a 3-member committee to look into whether Hindus should get minority status in seven states and a Union Territory where they are not the dominant religious group. The panel, led by the commission’s Vice Chairman George Kurien, has been given three months to submit its report. The commission’s decision is based on a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashwini Upadhyaya, whose petition on the matter was rejected by the Supreme Court on November 10. The court had directed him to approach the minorities’ commission. The states and the Union Territory named in the plea are Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab.