An Dalit-led international colloquium on Caste, Religion and Culture will be held in Cochin, Karala, India, from 1-4 May, it has been announced.

A prominent Indian Christian leader has said the churches must act decisively against the 'abominable sin' of caste discrimination.

Naming caste-based discrimination as "sin, apostasy and rebellion against God", Indian churches have committed to being "zero tolerance zones" for casteism.

Among the many arguments within and about the controversial UN review conference on racism, one that has attracted less media coverage is the overlooking of the struggles of 260 million so-called 'untouchables' in South Asia.