December 9, 2014
Derek O’Brien makes a Special Mention on the denial of Gorkha certificates to Christian Gorkhas | Transcript
The Gorkha community is famous worldwide for producing the fiercest soldiers. Serving India, Nepal and Great Britain, the people of the Gorkha community have been recruited by the army for decades.
One has to be certified as a Gorkha in order to avail relaxations in physical standards for recruitments in Military and Para Military services etc. The certificates are issued by District Magistrates or other competent authority.
Christian ‘Gorkha’ minorities are being denied the ‘Gorkha Certificate’ since, very strangely, only Hindu and Buddhist Gorkhas are considered eligible for the Gorkha Certificate. This has unfairly deprived the Christian minorities from applying for the Armed and Security Forces. Gorkhas who have converted to Christianity have been demanding the issuance of certificates for a significant period of time now.
The denial of Gorkha certificates to Christian youth smacks of discrimination. These young people are being unfairly denied the opportunity of seeking employment with the Government. They are disqualified from interviews for Police and the Center Reserve Police Forces due to their inability producing a Gorkha Certificate. Converting to Christianity does not take away from their Gorkha heritage and should not be used as a pretext for denying them the benefits that are due.
I urge the Government to intervene in this matter urgently and ensure that this anomaly in eligibility for Gorkha certification is corrected immediately. The Government must ensure that all Gorkhas are issued the required certificates in a timely manner, irrespective of their religion.
