|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Armed Mob Threatens Christians
on Palm Sunday in Kandhamal, Orissa |
|
| |
March 16, 2008
For the first time in more than a decade, the Palm Sunday
procession could not be carried out in Tiyangia village under
the Raikia police station in Kandhamal district’s Udayagiri
block. The pageant was called off after a crowd of armed Hindutva
(Hindu nationalist) extremists threatened local Christians
this morning.
Dr. John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian
Council (aicc), reported from troubled Kandhamal district
that an armed mob prevented the 180 Catholic families of the
Betticola Parish in Tiyangia village to hold the traditional
procession to mark the Palm Sunday.
The mob was still in the village, and growing, at the time
of reporting.
Dr. Dayal quoted Betticola Parish priest Fr. Praful Sadhapati
as saying that that when he came to the village at around
10 a.m. to conduct the Palm Sunday mass, he saw a huge crowd
of people carrying arms and shouting slogans asking Christians
to leave the area.
The mob was also using a loudspeaker to gather more people.
Sensing trouble, Fr. Praful Sadhapati informed another Catholic
clergy in the Bhubaneswar Archdiocese, who reported the incident
to the police inspector, identified only as Panda. The superintendent
of police of Kandhamal was also informed, and police were
expected to arrive at the scene.
Local Christians think the crowd was collected by the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose leaders are eying the land
on which a Christian grave is built outside the village.
Christians are apprehending violence, and tensions have gripped
the Tiyangia village and surrounding areas, Dr. Dayal said.
Asma Jahangir, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom
of Religion, was in Kandhamal yesterday to take stock of the
aftermath of the violence, which began on December 24, 2007
and lasted for more than a week. The series of attacks killed
at least six Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.
Thousands of displaced Christian victims are in various relief
camps set up by the state government of Orissa. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Rajasthan 'anti-religious conversion bill' likely to be discussed
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200803181322.htm |
|
| |
|
| |
Jaipur (PTI): The BJP government in Rajasthan is all set to
take up an anti-religious conversion bill in the ongoing assembly
session for discussion and passage on March 20 despite strong
reservations on it by Opposition Congress.
The Congress has warned that it would protest inside the House
and on the streets as the bill, reintroduced by the government,
was a "hidden Hindu agenda to appease RSS in the state
assembly elections slated later this year".
The Raje government has introduced a fresh bill, the Rajasthan
Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2008, last week with some changes
as the earlier measure, passed by the Assembly through a voice
vote on April 7, 2006, was still pending with President Pratibha
Patil for assent.
Patil, who was the then Governor of Rajasthan, had returned
it with objections in certain clauses to the assembly. Later
in 2007, the Raje cabinet had "re-submitted" the
bill to the Governor for approval, but Patil had referred
it to the then President A P J Abdul Kalama with her remarks.
"The 2006 bill is still pending with the President. Let
that be decided or returned. It was only after that the BJP
government should have thought of reintroducing the bill on
the same matter," Congress Chief Whip Juber Khan told
PTI.
"It appears that the BJP government is working on the
hidden Hindu agenda to appease RSS in the Vidhan Sabha elections
slated later this year in the state," Khan said. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
UN Sees Major Challenges to Religious Freedom in India |
|
| |
New Delhi, March 20, 2008
Ms. Asma Jahangir, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom
of Religion or Belief, announced her initial findings on religious
freedom in India at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday
morning, March 20, 2008. The All India Christian Council (aicc)
coordinated six meetings between the UN Special Rapporteur
and non-governmental groups (NGOs) during her three week visit.
Aicc leaders presented an analysis of increasing religious
discrimination and violent attacks.
Jahangir said in her press conference that communalism seems
to be increasing across India in the last decade. She warned
that divisions based on religion must be halted now or certain
groups may experience oppression. She was hopeful that vigilance
by civil society, media, and government authorities will stop
the potential disintegration of religious freedom.
Dr. Joseph D’souza, aicc President, said, “We
are proud of India. It remains the world’s largest democracy
and the only officially secular country among the eight member
countries of SAARC. However, there are dark clouds on the
horizon because violence against Christians and other minorities
is on the rise. Authorities must arrest perpetrators and protect
the innocent. Tragically, often perpetrators are protected
and the innocent arrested.” SAARC is the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation.
“The right to embrace any religion and seek the Divine
is the most basic of human rights. It must not be hindered.
But some radical elements, especially within hard-line Hindu
nationalist groups, are attacking minorities with impunity.
Their spokespeople say that conversions must be stopped at
any cost,” said John Dayal, aicc Secretary-General.
“For example, during the attacks over this past Christmas
in the eastern state of Orissa, about 100 churches and 700
Christian homes were burned. At least four Christians were
killed and many injured and abused. Yet the state government
banned charitable and religious institutions from giving direct
aid to victims and the aggressors still roam freely today.”
The aicc invited Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Buddhists, and
other minority leaders to give independent testimony to the
Special Rapporteur. Meetings coordinated by aicc were held
in: Ahmedabad, Gujarat (March 9); Trivandrum, Kerala (March
14); Bhubaneswar, Orissa (March 15); Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
(March 17); and New Delhi (March 5 and 19). In Lucknow and
Bhubaneswar, Christian and Muslim victims recounted attacks.
The aicc recorded an anti-Christian attack every three days,
on average, in 2007
“We applaud the Indian government for graciously hosting
the UN Special Rapporteur. She reportedly met the Chief Ministers
of every state she visited as well as minorities and human
rights bodies. We are hopeful the government will heed Ms.
Jahangir’s wise recommendations on how to protect the
religious freedom of all Indian citizens,” said Dr.
Sam Paul, aicc National Secretary of Public Affairs.
The last visit to India by a UN Special Rapporteur on freedom
of religion or belief was in 1996. Since then, India’s
citizens experienced: riots targeting Muslims (Gujarat 2002);
continued legal discrimination against Dalits if they are
not Hindu, Buddhist, or Sikh; the passage of anti-conversion
laws in four states and amendments in two other states; two
major outbreaks of violence against Christians during Christmas
celebrations (Dangs District, Gujarat, 1998, and Kandhamal
District, Orissa, 2007); and increasing attacks on Christian
clergy and places of worship. In most cases, attackers were
Hindutva activists.
Ms. Asma Jahangir and her Geneva-based assistant, Mr. Michael
Wiener, visited eight states and numerous cities in India
since arriving on March 2, 2008. She is a respected human
rights activist from Pakistan and has held several positions
with the United Nations. Jahangir was appointed as Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2004. Her job
is to “identify existing and emerging obstacles to the
enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and
present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such
obstacles.” In about three months, she will present
the final India country report to various UN human rights
bodies and the UN General Assembly. The last India country
report was released in February 1997. See: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/religion/index.htm. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Anti-conversion bill
passed in Rajasthan |
|
| |
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/anticonversion-bill-passed-in-rajasthan/61653-3.html
CNN-IBN |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Published on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 23:09 in Nation
section
New Delhi: Rajasthan Assembly passed a fresh anti-conversion
bill amid protests from the Opposition on Thursday. The bill
has two major modifications.
Rajasthan is the sixth state trying to pass an anti-conversion
law after Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh
and Himachal Pradesh.
The bill requires a signature of the Governor before it can
become a law.
The bill has been passed just months before Rajasthan goes to
the polls and is being seen as an attempt to woo the Hindu vote
by the ruling BJP.
The opposition also objected to Kataria and Law Minister G S
Tiwari's remarks against Patil and demanded that Deputy Speaker
R N Vishnoi protect the dignity of the highest office.
Interestingly, the BJP government in neighbouring Gujarat had
recently withdrawn a similar legislation after it was returned
by the state Governor.
"Whether Patil had made any suggestions, objections, or
rejected it is not known to the government. Whether the bill
was sent to the President through the Home Department officially
is also not known. Hence, the bill has been taken up again,"
Kataria said.
He said the bill was necessary to maintain communal harmony
and to curb conversion activities in tribal areas of Dungarpur,
Banswara, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer district.
Opposition MLAs were further irked when Tiwari said "I
am telling the House that the then governor took the wrong way
of action on the bill". |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Living Mission reports persecutions and
attacks against Christian missionaries in India. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
