What are the NCSC and NCBC doing with their Constitutional status! P.N. Sankaran cites two recent incidents to illustrate the apathy of the commissions Constitutionally empowered to protect the rights of the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes It is shocking to find how the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), both of which have Constitutional status, have failed the Dalits and backward classes, respectively, together constituting the vast majority of the Indian population. A report in The Hindu titled ‘Probe attacks on Dalits in AP: TDP’ (31 December 2020) talks about the sad saga of “brutal attacks” against Dalits in Andhra Pradesh and the highly condemned attitude of omission on the part of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) towards the victims. In a strongly worded letter addressed to the chairperson of NCSC, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Politburo member Varla Ramaiah said that the party had appealed to the NCSC to inquire into the attacks and initiate action against the culprits on five occasions. Sadly, the NCSC has not responded to date. “As a consequence, no action has been initiated against the culprits much to the dismay of the victims,” Ramaiah has said. “On the one hand, the ruling party in the State has turned a blind eye to the attacks on Dalits, and on the other, the NCSC appears to be ignoring the victims’ plight. With no authority attempting to contain the situation, the ruling party leaders are emboldened.” In fact, after the term of the office-bearers of the NCSC ended in May 2020, a new commission has yet to be formed.