Miscreant attacks Tumakuru church, Christians plan protests

TUMAKURU:  A church in Tumakuru was attacked by an unidentified man early on Thursday morning.
The miscreant targetted Tomlinson Church on the Union Christian College (UCC) campus in Saadepura, a place of worship for Protestant Christians of the Church of South India (CSI), Karnataka Central Diocese.
CCTV images showed a man wearing track pants throwing a bottle filled with petrol and setting the wooden door of the church on fire around 4 am.
In the footage, he is seen anxiously checking for the presence of people in the vicinity.
Saadepura area is a residential hub of Christian community. Anook, who resides on the campus, noticed the fire. He rushed to the spot and extinguished it.
Tumakuru Deputy Commissioner K P Mohanraj, who visited the church, termed the incident as unfortunate and said the administration would ensure safety of all places of worship.
Superintendent of Police Karthik Reddy told Express that the police will nab the accused within 48 hours. Five teams led by police inspectors will investigate the case, he said.
Central Range IGP Seemanth Kumar Singh visited the spot and took stock of the situation.
As the news about the attack spread like wild fire, city MLA Rafeek Ahmed, MP S P Muddahanume Gowda, former minister Sogadu Shivanna and others visited the church.
The incident occurred at a place where residential quarters of all top bureaucrats, including the DC, the SP and the ZP CEO, are located.  The community leaders have ruled out the act of a person within the community.
Community members angry
The Tomlinson Church holds elections once in two years to elect 10 members to the Pastorate Committee and the polls were held a year ago, they said.  “Once the elections are over we forget our differences and assemble for the masses,” they clarified.
Meanwhile, the incident united all sections of the Christian community, including Protestants, Catholics and other denominations. Headed by CSI area chairman Samuel Pujary, they held a meeting in the evening.
They took a decision to hold a day-long hunger strike at the Town Hall Circle here on Friday. On Monday, they will hold a rally and people from Chikballapur, Dodballapur, Gouribidanur and Bengaluru are expected to attend, sources said.
“Our only demand is to arrest the culprit and give protection to the community,” said Jeevaratna, an elderly person of the community.
The 86-year-old church is said to be one of the rarest ones in the country as its architecture is a mix of Hoysala and Chola traditions, observed John Sureshbabu, another community leader.

Incidents against the Christian community in October 2015 as reported by Evangelical Fellowship of India

Introductory Note EFI News October 2015

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has recorded at least 23 verified incidents targeting the Christian community in the months of September - October 2015. This includes one person being killed by unidentified people in Jharkhand while other incidents like arrests on cooked up charges and attacks on individual Christians and worship services continued. At least one act of vandalism of a cemetery was reported from Karnataka.

Most of the incidents came from the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh (11 incidents) and Chhattisgarh (5 incidents). Jharkhand reported two incidents, Delhi, one; Uttar Pradesh, one, Punjab, one; Gujarat, one and Karnataka reported one incident.

Majority of the incidents centered on the tribal belts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand with tribal Christians bearing the brunt of most of the violence.

These incidents of hate crime and violence against the Christian minority are at best a partial indicator of the situation of Christians in the country for many incidents are not even reported. The Evangelical Fellowship of India urges the central government and the respective state governments to look into these incidents and take steps to check the hate and ensure justice and protection for the minority community.

Christian Cemetery Vandalised in Belgaum, Karnataka

September 7, 2015: A cemetery in Belgaum of Karnataka was found vandalized on September 7, 2015 when a group of people went to bury their dead. According to reports in the media, the vandals have uprooted more than a dozen crosses, broke up some gravestones and dig up some graves. The incident happened at Bharatnagar of Shahapur area, which is about 2kms from Belgaum city.

Three Christians including two pastors jailed at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

September 8, 2015: Three Christians including two pastors are in jail in Jagdalpur, Bastar district since September 8, 2015. Pastor Loknath Baghel, Pastor Suddu Baghel, and Tikaram Netam of Barpaguda village of Bastar district were arrested after they opposed the takeover of their village land. The land in question has been used as a graveyard in the past and now has been marked by the government authorities that want to develop a pond there. A FIR was filed against the Pastors when the villagers opposed the takeover of land. The sessions court has rejected the bail application for the Pastors twice.

Church members brutally attacked by Hindu extremists at Bastar, Chhattisgarh

September 8, 2015: Christian villagers in Karmari village, district Bastar, Chhattisgarh were brutally attacked by Hindu extremists following the passing of a resolution in the village banning all non-Hindu religious activities. A mob of over 50 Hindu radicals gathered and surrounded a Church building around 4 pm on September 8, 2015. Before any of the Christians could even ask what was happening, the radicals attacked, assaulting Christians with wooden clubs and sticks. When some women from the Church confronted the radicals, they too were brutally beaten with wooden clubs and fists. Two Christian women, Pulo Bhai and Ludri were seriously injured in the assault and lost consciousness. As Christians in Karmari village face a social boycott, life has become very difficult for them.

House Church Service stopped at Palian Kalan, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh

September 13, 2015: Pastor Durgesh Yadav of Palian Kalan, Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh was threatened by a mob of around 200-250 people led by local RSS and BJP leaders during Sunday worship service on 13 September 2015 at 11:00 am. The mob wanted him to stop conducting worship in the area. The house Church of about 100 members has stopped worship as of now because of the threats received. Pastor Yadav has filed a complained to the Palia Kalan police station but the police have not yet lodged the FIR against the local leaders.

Pastor and wife detained and interrogated by Police alleging force conversions at Chandia, Umaria, Madhya Pradesh

September 18, 2015: Pastor Gaya Prasad Dharwiya and his wife, from Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh were apprehended and threatened by a local RSS leader who was accompanied by the police. The Pastor and his wife were returning from a friend's house at Chandia town of Umria District, Madhya Pradesh. The RSS leader and the policemen forcibly took the couple to the Chandia Police Station without assigning any reason and detained them there for more than eleven hours before letting them go late in the night. The Superintendent of Police, Umria District ordered Pastor Dharviya and his wife to be present at the Chandia Police Station next morning at 10:00AM.

Christians Beaten Up, Chased Out from Home in Chhattisgarh

September 22, 2015: In Kongud, Kondagoan, Chhatisgarh, Hindu extremists beat up two Christian siblings after they refused to renounce Christ. The extremists summoned Mankuram Singh and his brother to a Hindu temple and asked them to renounce Christ However, the Christians refused and the mob thereafter started to beat them up, accused them of being involved in forceful conversions and proceeded to vandalize their home. The attackers later locked up their home and chased them out of the village. The brothers submitted a police complaint with the help of area Christian leaders, but the police did not register a case against the attackers and the extremists are threatening to harm them if they do not withdraw their complaint.

Delhi, Pastor threatened to stop Church service

September 27, 2015: September 27, 2015: Pastor Pradeep Kumar in Matiala, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi was manhandled and threatened by some of his neighbors who were led by local Hindu extremists. The attackers wanted to stop the Sunday Church service that was going on.

Three Christians arrested for alleged forced conversions in Satna, Madhya Pradesh 

October 3, 2015: Madhya Pradesh police arrested three evangelists accusing them of proselytizing and forced conversions. The arrest took place at a school located at Majhgawan, a small town in Satna district. The three Stephen Rajkumar, 40; Harilal 20; and Anil Kumar have been charged under the Madhya Pradesh freedom of religion act. The police also confiscated Bibles, books, CDs and projectors that were with them. 

26 Christian Families threatened with boycott and ouster from the village at Betul, Madhya Pradesh 

October 3, 2015: Suraj Sariyam, a Christian from Chattarpur, Ghoda Dongri, Betul district was threatened and harassed by local Hindu leader Kailash Sariyam alias Gabba on October 3, 2015. Gabba not only stopped Suraj from enter his own paddy field but also did not allow him to take water for next two days from the village river. The village has 26 Christian families. On October 5, 2015 the village council summoned all the Christian families for a hearing. Orders were also issued to the villagers to boycott all the Christian families. Villagers were told not to provide basic facilities like water etc. to the Christians. But due to police intervention the hearing could not take place. The Christians in the village are still getting threats from Hindu extremists and are living in danger.

Christian family pressured and threatened for Ghar Wapsi (re-conversion) at Satna, MP

October 5, 2015: A group of 15 Hindu extremists trespassed into the home of a Christian family at Motwa village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh and threatened them. The extremists were pressurizing the family to do a 'Ghar Wapsi' (homecoming). This family had accepted Christianity 5 years ago. The extremists threatened the family and warned them not to partake in Christian worship service.

Pastor, his pregnant wife, and their 11-month-old baby beaten at Kapurthala, Punjab 

October 8, 2015: Pastor Arvinder Singh and his family were brutally beaten up to the point of  death by a mob that included his neighbours in Phagwara city of Kapurthala district, Punjab. Pastor Arvinder was hit with an iron object on his head, which made him unconscious for a couple of hours. His wife, who was seven months pregnant, was manhandled and struck many times over on her stomach by the mob. The couple's 11-month baby boy was also thrown at pile of bricks, which caused him serious internal injuries. No FIR has been registered till date.

Pastor's mother pelted with stones in Dahod, Gujarat

October 12, 2015: Dasudi Ben Bhuriya (58), mother of Pastor Rajesh Bhuriya was at tacked and pelted with stones by 6-7 Hindu extremists, on October 12, at Bilwani village of Dahod district. She was admitted at the Bilwani hospital as a result of the attack for treatment of her injuries.

Pastor Shot Dead in Jharkhand  

October 13, 2015: Pastor Chamu Hasda Purty of the Pentecostal Church at Sandih, Khunti district was killed as unidentified people opened gunfire at him after entering his house. The murder took place in the late evening of October 13. Pastor Chamu Hasda Purty was well respected and valued by the local community.

Christians summoned at Police station for questioning on false charges of Conversion at Betul, MP 

October 17, 2015: Two Christians, Yuvraj and Kumar Singh were taken to the Bhimpur Police station in Betul district for questioning after local Hindu extremists complained against them alleging religious conversions. Christians have been gathering as a Church conducting regular Sunday worship at Bhimpur village for more than a year now but they are getting regular threats from local Hindu groups to close down the Church and move out of the village.

Christians detained at police station on the complaint of Bajrang Dal and VHP members in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh

October 17, 2015: Members of Bajrang Dal attacked a prayer meeting near Rajnandgaon and beat up the preacher Dev Kumar Sahu on October 17, 2015. The meeting was held at the house of Mr. Lalit Sahu and about 50 Christians were in attendance when more than 20 armed members of the Bajrang Dal trespassed into the private property of Mr. Lalit Sahu and started pushing people and beat up the preacher. The police carried the Christians to the police station for questioning and they were let off later after EFI and other local Christian leaders intervened.

Christian meeting disrupted in Dalli Rajhara, Chhattisgarh

October 21, 2015: A prayer meeting organized at the home of Mrs. Dhaneswari Sahu was disrupted by member of the Dharm Jagran Samiti along with some representatives of the Sahu community who were angry that the family had started organizing Christian prayer meetings at their home since last many months. According to reports when the prayer meeting was going on, members of the Dharm Jagran Samiti and representatives of the Sahu community arrived at the house of Mrs. Dhaneswari Sahu in an inebriated state. They created a ruckus and stopped the prayer meeting. They accused the Christians of conversions and also charged them with scheming alleging that the Christians wanted to demolish the nearby temple. The Christians have not reported the matter to the police.

Christians arrested in Kanhiwada, Madhya Pradesh 

October 25, 2015: A Christian woman and a man were arrested by the police from a private prayer meeting at Bhatekhari village after a local Hindu leader complained against them alleging conversions through allurement. Mrs. Anjana Jharia and Mr. Manish Yadav were speaking at a private prayer meeting organized at the house of a Christian, when the police arrested them on the complaint of one Ashok Baghel. There is no evidence of Mr. Ashok Baghel even being present in the meeting according to local Christians. They were charged with sections 3 and 4 of the MP Freedom of Religion Act and under sections 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. They were later bailed out.

Christians including children arrested in Junardeo, Madhya Pradesh

October 25, 2015: At least 8 Christians plus two children were arrested from Silvada, Junnardeo on cooked up charges of forced conversion and of hurting religious sentiments this included a family from Bhopal who had come down to Junnardeo for their vacations. Pastor A J Thomas, his wife, and two children, John (14) and Kezia (12) were among the people arrested. Pastor Thomas and his wife were later put in a jail in Junnardeo while their children were taken to Chhindwara which is 50 kilometres away. Later the children were separated and while Kezia was sent to Shahdol (421 Kilometres away), John was sent to Narsinghpur (125 Kilometres away), where they await their bail till the writing of this story. Their parents have been bailed out. 

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A Community Under Attack? - Article by Outlook Magazine

A Sangh supporter flies a saffron flag atop a vandalised church in Muniguda, Orissa

christians & conversion

The Christian community is in mortal fear as the Sangh parivar steps up attacks over ‘conversions’

A Community  Under Attack?
Incidents involving Christians since April ’14

• Churches Vandalised
  Incidents of arson, stone-pelting, vandalism reported from Delhi; Bhilai, Durg (Jharkhand); Udupi, Chitradurga (Karnataka); Thrissur (Kerala); Jagdalpur, Mahasamund, (Chhattisgarh); Jaunpur, Bulandshahar, Aligarh (UP); Karur (TN); Mandla (MP).
• Pastors Attacked
  Reports of arrest/harassment by police from Dewas, Katni, Indore, Bhopal, Alipur (MP); Chitradurga, Karwar, (Karnataka); Tirunelveli (TN); Jashpur (Chhattisgarh); Mednipur (West Bengal); Patna (Bihar); Faizabad (UP)
• Diktat On Missionary Schools
  Union HRD minister announces essay competition on December 25 (dubbed “good governance day”), backtracks after protests. Schools in Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) asked to instal Saraswati statues, diktat to call principals ‘pracharya’ not ‘Rev Father’.
• Sunday Service, Carols Disrupted; Christians Banned
  Reports from Jaunpur and Agra (UP); Malappuram (Kerala); Bastar (Chhattisgarh). Entry of Christians ‘banned’ in 50 villages in Bastar (Chhattisgarh).
• Dalit Christians
  In a reply in the RS, government ruled out reservations to Christian and Muslim Dalits
• ‘Forcible Conversion’ Cases
  500 cases in MP alone in three months; incidents from Davangere (Karnataka); Satna (MP); Greater Noida (UP); reconversion of Christians reported in Bastar (Chhattisgarh).
• Refusal To Supply PDS
  Complaint of inadequate supplies to 52 Christian families for two months in Sirisguda, Chhattisgarh, June 2014

***

On the last day of November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Nagaland when he received a memorandum from church leaders seeking his intervention to put an end to the renewed attacks on Christians reported from across the country. In what seemed to be an act of defiance, the very next day the altar at the St Sebastian’s Church in the national capital was burnt to cinders. And no, it wasn’t a short circuit that did it. The incident triggered outrage and several thousand Christians gheraoed the Delhi police headquarters the next day to protest.
The brutal 1998 burning of Australian missionary Graham Staines under A.B. Vajpayee’s watch has faded into the rec­esses of the country’s short public memory. But in the year of the lord 2014, the installation of the Modi sarkar appears to have instantly galvanised sec­tions of the Sangh parivar into a sort of frenzy. Emboldened by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s pronouncement that all Muslims and Christians were basically Hindus, Union ministers and BJP MPs have been vying to outdo each other with outrageous statements dir­ected at the community.
The unkindest cut came from the PM’s close aide, HRD minister Smriti Irani, in the 50th week of the year: a completely unnecessary controversy over keeping schools and offices open on Christmas day and observing December 25 as ‘Good Governance Day’, the stars of the day apparently being Hindu Mahasabha leader Madan Mohan Malviya and Vajpayee, not Jesus Christ. Christians should feel happy, suggested a BJP spokesman on television, that the day has been chosen to highlight good governance.
As the Christian world celebrates a season of cheer, here in India activists estimate there have been as many as 71 incidents of attacks, arrests, arson, dam­age, disruptions, burglaries, landgrabs involving the peaceable community in just the first 200 days of Modi’s regime (see graphic). The icing on the cake came from RSS affiliates who tom-tommed plans to reconvert Christians on Chri­stmas at Aligarh and Meerut and hold up Parliament. Meanwhile, even as we go to press a pastor and 15 of his congregation from Banjara Bap­t­ist church in Hyderbad were beaten up by Sangh workers as they were singing Christmas carols.
“What next?” asks P.C. George, Con­g­ress chief whip in Kerala and a pre-ele­ction supporter of Modi. “Yes, I was an admirer of Modi’s development plans but what we now see is that it has been cast aside for this kind of divisive politics. What are they going to do next? We hear in the Northeast poor Muslim migrants coming across the border from Bangladesh have been asked to convert to Hinduism if they want to stay in India. This is plain cruel, a violation of human rights.” George still hasn’t given up on Modi, saying he’s probably being made the sacrificial lamb and it’s the RSS and Sangh parivar who are out to destroy the secular fabric of the country.

 
Forces deployed at Kalvari church in Ludhiana after Shiv Sena attack, Dec 11, 2014. (Photograph by Prabhjot Singh Gill)

 
Father Paul Thelakat, spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar church in Kerala, says, “Christians are fearful and anxious all over India as the BJP government attempts to suppress the rights of minorities. There has been compulsion to instal images of Goddess Saraswati in some Christian schools, to suppress Santa Claus for Christmas and to force Christians into Hinduism in many places in the country. At the World Hindu Congress 2014, they declared the biggest threats to Hindutva as Macaulayism, Missionaries, Mater­ial­ism, Marxism and Muslims (described as the Malicious 5),” he recalls.

“Anti-national forces are engaged in religious conversion. But we won’t allow it. The country needs a uniform anti-conversion law.”Brijmohan Agarwal, Chhattisgarh minister, BJP

Admittedly, some of these incidents have occurred in non-BJP-ruled states too and it would be a mistake to extrapolate them into a national phenomenon. Still, there is no denying that a growing mass of lumpen elements are enjoying the warm sunshine the Modi governm­ent provides by virtue of being a “maj­o­rity government”. Christian eva­n­g­elists, pastors and priests have increasingly come under attack. Even the national capital isn’t safe as Joby Thomas (name changed) found out in September. A prayer meeting was being held when some miscreants arrived and demanded that they cease and disperse. Most of the people dispersed but when the police came, they arrested some of the Christians and took them to the station. Joby and a few others followed to help those taken into custody. At the station compound, a crowd had assembled by then with even a TV crew in attendance. While they were walking to the station, someone called him from behind and asked if he belonged to the arrested group. When he said yes, he got a tight slap on his left ear. “I was literally seeing stars,” says Joby. With the situation volatile, he and his friends ran into the police station. Joby though was thoroughly beaten up. The police put the 12-13 of them also in the lock-up even as the mob outside bayed for their blood. The policemen even advised them to stand close to the wall so that they could not be seen from outside. Later, after the mob had dispersed, a police officer jokingly mentioned that “you were arrested pre­c­isely for singing and praying”.
Kirti Ratnam, a well-to-do Christian homemaker in Delhi who’s married to a Hindu, says that while she herself has not faced any discrimination, on almost every visit to the church she and others in the congregation hear requests to pray for someone or the other who has been attacked or abused. “I feel upset and angry at not being able to voice my outrage even in social media lest I jeopardise the safety of my family,” she exclaims.

    

Christians protest the church arson attack in Delhi with a candle-light vigil, Dec 7, 2014

That said, she’s lucky, she and other affluent Christians do not have to bear the brunt of the attacks taking place in large parts of the countryside. That has followed a familiar pattern, as descri­bed by Father Anand, national president of the Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh. “We are being harassed, and our activities are being curbed. Nowadays, the police feel free to raid any Christian congregation, claiming conversions are being done there,” he says. Fr Anand says, and not without a tinge of sarcasm, that while BJP leaders are keen to get their wards admitted to missionary schools in cities, they were allergic to missionaries working in rural and tribal areas.
What’s surprising is also the muted response from political parties in the opposition. Says Rev Abraham Mar Poulos, chairperson of the socio-political commission of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, “No one’s talking. We had great expectations from the BJP government but some of the comments of the Sangh parivar and certain individuals in the BJP have brought us much grief. The recent incidents will be the real test of the PM.”
As in Vajpayee’s 1998, at the heart of the blowback against Christians is conversion, the belief that Christian missionaries are converting large masses of Indians, especially in the tribal areas, to Christianity. And this despite the fact—borne out by the 2011 census—that after 2000 years of Christianity in India, the population of Christians constitutes only 2.3 per cent of India’s 1.25 billion.
Right-wing Hindus, especially of the net-savvy kind, do not see the irony in Hindu evangelists converting people in western countries to Hinduism. Says Rev Pratheesh Joseph of the Salem Church in Kochi, “The number of foreigners flocking to the neo-Hinduism centres of Mata Amritanandamayi and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and converting to Hinduism goes unnoticed. There are hundreds of centres of these religious leaders in the West. But no Christian is worried about this kind of conversion.” 
Contrary to the belief in the media and among people, anti-conversion laws enacted by several state legislatures are not yet ‘laws of the land’, having yet to receive assent from the respective governors (including in states ruled by the BJP for long). The legislations have also been challenged in court and the final word is still awaited. But the fact is, the police in these states have been taking action under these ‘laws’, instituting cases against Christian pastors, even putting many of them behind bars. Some instances:

• In Chhattisgarh, official records reveal that over 700 complaints have been registered under the Act in police stations in the last eight years. Preliminary inquiries led to 270 cases filed by the police. Over a hundred accused pastors were arrested but later enlarged on bail. Significantly, around 40 of them have since been acquitted by the courts, says Arun Pannalal of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum.
• In 2003, the Gujarat government pushed for the ‘Freedom of Religion Act’ which  mandated that if someone wanted to change his religion, he must necessarily seek the permission of the district collector. For the next five years, the state did not frame rules for the implementation of the law. They finally did so in 2008 and the constitutional validity of this law was challenged in the Gujarat High Court. The HC sent a notice to the state government but till today the latter has not responded to it, claims Father Cedric Prakash.
• The MP assembly amended the ‘Freedom of Religion Act’ in July last year without any debate. The amendment, which provides for stringent punishment, was pushed through despite the government’s past experience in 2006 when the amendment was sent to the President. A presidential reference was then sought from the solicitor-general and the governor refused to give his assent on the basis of opinion received.

The series of attacks against religious minorities has not gone unnoticed by western diplomats and observers either. However, the euphoria that Modi has created on reviving the Indian economy and opening up India as an attractive investment destination and market con­tinues to be the overriding factor for the West. Many western diplomats admit that for now India under Modi is being viewed solely through the prism of economics. “For the time being, everybody is just focusing and hoping for quick economic reforms in India,” says a western diplomat.

MP Dinesh Kashyap at a VHP Christian ‘ghar vapasi’ event in Bastar, Oct 2014. (Photograph by Suresh Rawal)

That said, many western countries have appointed ambassadors-at-large whose task is to collect information from different parts of the world on sensitive issues. Issues like religious persecution is top on their agenda. It may, therefore, not come as a surprise if in the coming days countries start raising this sensitive issue with the Indian government during discussions.
BJP sources say the prime minister has conveyed his displeasure over the activities of Sangh-affiliated organisations to Nagpur. Modi has also personally ticked off party MPs, asking them to exercise restraint. A message, sou­rces say, has also been sent out from the RSS leadership to its cadre to take it slow. But does that mean that the winter chill will see right-wingers burying their agendas? Highly placed sources say this is unlikely. Indeed, the reverse is possible with the saffron world stepping up propaganda through Goa-like conclaves and seminars.

---

By Minu Ittyipe in Kochi, K.S. Shaini in Bhopal, Yashwant Dhote in Raipur and Mihir Srivastava in Delhi with Dola Mitra in Calcutta, Pranay Sharma in Delhi and Prarthna Gahilote in Mumbai)

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State’s caste census will be inquisitive about conversions

The proposed caste census has already made the dominant vote-banks of Lingayats and Vokkaligas restless, apprehensive as they are that it will lead to their fragmentation and thereby weakening them as a political force. Now, the census by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission (KBCC), aggressively backed by chief minister Siddaramaiah, is set to rub the minorities too in the wrong way.

First, they will be asked whether they have ever been converted from one religion to the another at any point in time. Every citizen - whether Muslim, Christian, Parsi, Sikh, Buddhist or any other minority community - will also be asked what the 'traditional occupation' of their ancestors was before the conversion. There will be multiple questions on these two issues to ensure the answer is elicited, one way or the other.
The census questions on conversion could turn into a weapon for the right-wingers of all religions, as proselytising and traditional occupations - like that of the barbers - are highly sensitive issues. So does a 'secular' government need these answers? The official stand is that the commission and the state government have taken a calculated risk to get actual numbers of each sub-caste and profession, so that sufficient funds in budgets and allocations can be given to each community. It does have a fatal flaw: Individuals can claim to have belonged to any caste retrospectively, but there will be no way of verifying it.
This survey will also not certify that an individual belongs to a certain caste or community.
The Lingayats and Vokkaligas fear that the real intent is to undermine their hegemony and instead catapult the Kurubas, which is the community Siddaramaiah belongs to, as the No.1 caste. This is because the census will ask the question: Is your caste known by any other name?"This is likely to fragment both the major communities, leaving the more people under the Kuruba name tag.
The Kurubas, as also many other OBCs, are evidently gung-ho, as they feel a re-enumeration would show their "actual" strength and garner more benefits for them. This is true of other backward castes also. For example, former CM, the late S Bangarappa, was of the opinion that if the hunter community, known under different names like Beda, Jeda or Valmiki, could be put together, they would form the single largest community in the state.
There is a column asking the sub-caste. So non-homogenous castes where different sub-castes occupy different traditional professions will show up, like the Kaadu Kurubas and Jenu Kurubas, who are forest gatherers rather than shepherds, the traditional profession of Kurubas. Sources say that a total of 1,077 castes will come under the census.
KBCC chairman H Kantharaj told Bangalore Mirror: "Muslims as a religious group are categorised in 2B. But some of them are also classified under 2A based on their traditional occupation. For example, Pinjaras and Chapparbands are caste groups based on professions. We are trying to get these numbers right."
Siddaramaiah had set aside a sum of Rs 21 crore as deputy CM in 2004-05 budget for the census, but it never took off. Now, his government has released Rs 117 crore for the purpose and nearly 1.25 lakh enumerators will do the survey across the state in November and December, a far cry from the simple day-long survey conducted by Telangana recently to identify inhabitants of their state.
Kantharaj said this would be the most exhaustive census ever. "It will also have columns for inter-caste marriages, for people who say they have no caste and also for those who identify themselves as the third gender," he said. Further, he added: "A single caste is known by several different names (like the hunter community cited above). So the question after asking the caste name is, whether it is known by another name."
The chairman said the CM has made it clear that the census should follow the Supreme Court guidelines. "This census will cover the social and educational data that shows the economic condition. Plus it will collect information of political backwardness of the people as well. Land ownership and even ownership of animals will be counted. Even data on why there are school dropouts and why there is a difference between rural and urban education will be collected."
He contended that this census was not just a job, but a noble mission. "The CM has said that it should be very meticulous. Every department of the government will benefit from this census."
Digitised data from this census should be available by April 2015, mid-way through the term of the present Congress government. Data collected would include occupation, income, expenditure, immovable assets, availability of drinking water facilities and so on.
S Japhet, director, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, National Law School of India University, who was part of the expert committee which framed the questions, said, "The common perception is that castes and religions are homogenous. But it is not the case. Take the Jains for example. We tend to think all of them are rich people from Rajasthan or Gujarat. But in reality, the economic status of a Jain from Tumkur or Belgaum is no different from his neighbours from other castes." Japhet added that the enumerators need to be sensitive in asking questions.

POLITICAL CASTES UPSET The inclusion of the sub-caste has already upset many political castes who see it as an attempt to divide their unity. When the per cent of each sub-caste is revealed, it may lead to more fragmented caste politics, they feel. But Japhet said: "You cannot wish away these things in India. Even if you want to annihilate caste, you first need to recognise them as realities and deal with them with sincerity." Japhet said that the caste census will be a "major breakthrough in understanding the social structure," of Karnataka's society. Earlier, the state government had appointed commissions which did sample surveys and came up with percentage estimates for castes. However each of them from the Venkataswamy Commission, Havanur Commission and the Chinnappa Reddy commission were challenged by various caste groups. "These sample surveys have been challenged so many times and no one is ready to agree that any of them is proper," said Japhet.

 

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Karnataka govt rejects commission report on church attacks

The Congress government in Karnataka has rejected a final report of the Justice B K Somashekhara inquiry commission into a series of attacks on churches and Christian institutions in coastal Karnataka in September 2008 shortly after the BJP came to power in the state.
The decision to reject the final report of the Justice B K Somashekhara commission was taken by the Siddaramaiah government at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday evening.  Law minister T B Jayachandra stated after the meeting that the inquiry commission’s report was rejected on account of a disparity between an interim report of the commission and the final report.
In its final report, the Justice B K Somashekhara commission had exonerated right wing groups like the Bajrang Dal of involvement in the attacks. In its interim report the commission had stated that there was evidence to indicate involvement of the right wing groups in the attacks.
The law minister stated that the state government had decided to accept a report on the church attacks made by the National Human Rights Commission following an inquiry where it found right wing groups to be involved.  The government would order prosecution of those involved in the attacks on the basis of the NHRC report the cabinet had decided, Jayachandra said.
The church attacks in coastal Karnataka occurred shortly after the BJP came to power in Karnataka in May 2008. The BJP government lead by B S Yeddyurappa had set up the Justice B K Somashekhara commission to investigate the attacks.
In an interim report placed before the government in September 2009 the commission found involvement of right wing groups like the Bajrang Dal in the attacks since Bajrang Dal leaders had held a press conference to claim responsibility for vandalizing churches in the Mangalore region.
In its 2011 final report the Justice Somashekhar commission changed its stance and stated that an impression of Sangh Parivar involvement in the church attacks was falsely created to tarnish the image of the BJP government.
While accepting the NHRC report on the church attacks the state cabinet has also accepted nine recommendations in the NHRC report including payment of compensation to those injured in the attacks and protection for places of worship of minority communities.

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Church Properties Damaged in Karnataka

On 18 May in Kundupur, properties of two churches were allegedly damaged by unidentified miscreants.
Our correspondent Rev. Noel Kotian reported that an ornamental pot at the entrance of the Holy Rosary church was found broken and a signpost leading to St. Antony Church in Koteshwar also was found uprooted.
The town police have registered cases in connection with both incidents.

Source: EFINEWS

Pastor Accused of Forceful Conversion, Vehicle Damaged in Karnataka

On 4 May in Bagath Sing Nagar, Davangere, Hindu extremists damaged the vehicle of a pastor after they filed a police complaint against him of forceful conversion.
Our correspondent, Moses Muragavel, Allied Attorney of ADF, India reported that, instigated by the Hindu extremists, Ganga Naik filed a police compliant against his brother Pastor Chandra Naik from Living Hope Gypsy Church of forceful conversion.
The complaint letter was signed up by 25 people to take legal action against Pastor Chandra Naik .Thereafter, First Information Report was filed against Pastor Naik at K T J Nagar police station. The case is pending before the court.
In the meantime, anti-Christian people have pelted stones at Pastor Chandra Naik's Omni Van and partially damaged it.
Speaking to EFI News, Pastor Chandra Naik said, "There was no case of forceful conversion, people come to the church to pray by their own decisions."
The Christian submitted a counter complaint against the extremists at K T J Nagar police station with the help of ADF, India. Moreover, the PSI promised the Christians that he will give police protection on the following Sunday worship meeting.
Kindly pray that Pastor Chandra Naik will be able to minister in the area peacefully.

Source: EFINEWS

Man arrested for 'attacking' churches in Bangalore, TN

Bangalore: A man having suspected links with a fundamentalist organisation has been arrested for his alleged role in vandalising and attacking churches in the city and Tamil Nadu between 2008 and 2009.
"A special investigating team on September 3 arrested 33-year-old Sajjan Kumar, a resident of Tamil Nadu, for his involvement in church attacks here," City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told reporters here.
Police suspect Kumar owes allegiance to a fundamentalist organisation. "We are investigating it," he added.
Kumar is alleged to have attacked and damaged four churches situated at Yedavanahalli and Huskurgate in city limits, Auradkar said.
Tamil Nadu Police have also filed a case against Kumar for allegedly setting on fire a scooter parked near a hotel where a Christian prayer was held.

"A case was registered in Mathigiri police station limits in Tamil Nadu," he added.
PTI

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Fresh attacks against Christians in Karnataka

by Nirmala Carvalho

Three new attacks occurred in the Indian state of Karnataka in August alone, all by Hindu extremists.

The latest occurred on 18 August in Chikkamalaguru District when Hindu radicals stormed the home of Ms Doddamma, a member of the Rehebothe Prarthana Mandir Pentecostal Church.

The group of men asked her why she visited Hindu families and who gave her permission to preach Christianity.

Faced with her silence, the men dragged her and her daughter to a nearby Hindu temple, where they ordered some holy men to reconvert them to Hinduism. Faced with their refusal, the Hindus brutally beat the two women, as others destroyed their home.

On 11 August, in Chitadurga District, Rev Paramajyothi, the pastor at an independent Pentecostal Church, was attacked by Hindu ultra-nationalists. Dragged out of his church, he was stripped him and beaten mercilessly under the eyes of his congregation and family. The religious leader suffered several injuries, including three broken teeth.

Once discharged from the hospital, he turned to the police in Bejikere for protection since the fundamentalists had issued threats against him, ordering him to leave the village. Police instead filed a complaint against the attackers, as well as the clergyman.

On 3 August, 50 Hindu extremists violently attacked Somashekarwas, an Evangelical Christian in Bijapur District. Pulling his hair and ripping his clothes, they ordered him to reconvert to Hinduism. They also swore at his wife Kusumabhai and ordered the couple to leave the village if they were not willing to renounce Christianity. Because of their refusal, the attackers reported them to the police in Nedugundhi, accusing them of practicing forced conversions.

Adapted from Asianews.it

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Christians attacked in Karnataka

Church Burned, Christians attacked in Karnataka
On 26 June, Hindu extremists burned up a church, beat up a pastor and five church members in Narasipura, Hassan District.
According to our correspondent Advocate Moses Muragavel, the extremists burned down Zion church at about 10 p.m after they repeatedly threatened to harm the Christians if they continued to conduct worship meetings in the area.
Speaking to EFI News, Pastor Annaiah said, "The extremists want to wipe us out from the village and told us that there is no other religion than Hinduism for us".
Again on 29 June, the extremists massed up to burn the temporary shed the Christians built for conducting prayer meetings and beat up Pastor Annaiah and the church members as they tried to stop the extremists.
The Christians ran to the police station. However, the police refused to file a case against the attackers and summoned the two parties for a compromise.
The police told the extremists not to disturb the Christians in future and the Christians were told to pray quietly in their respective homes and not to gather for a prayer meeting.
On 3 June, about 1000 Hindu people shouting anti-Christian slogans staged a protest rally against Pastor Annaiah and his ministry and demanded the eradication of Christianity in the area.
The extremists continued to harass the Christians at press time. Area Christian leaders are meeting the higher officials to bring calm to the situation.
Christians account for about 4 percent of Karnataka’s population of 61.1 million people, according to Operation World, though officially the government puts the Christian population at 1.9 percent; Hindus make up 83.9 percent of the state’s population, and Muslims 12.2 percent.

Christians Arrested in Hunsur in Karnataka
In a similar incident in Hunsur, Mysore, Police arrested 12 Christians after the Hindu extremists staged a protest rally against alleged forceful conversion and demanded the arrest of Pastor Steven Suresh and 11 other believers .
According to our correspondent, Pastor Shibu Isaac, the extremists filed a police complaint against the Christians of forceful conversion, of desecrating the photographs of Hindu gods and of using derogatory and highly insulting remarks against the Hindu gods on 15 May.
Subsequently, Pastor Steven Suresh and 11 Christians from the Hikki Pikki adivasi were arrested under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code.
Speaking to EFI News, area Christian leader C.V Chacko said, "After accepting Christ, the Hikki Pikki Adivasi Christians underwent positive transformation in every spheres of their lives and the extremist could not tolerate the change".
Hikki Pikki adivasi Christians in Pakshirajapura are socially boycotted and their Anganawadi School has been converted into a temple. They are not allowed to draw water from the common wells. Government facilities for which all the STs, whether Hindus or Christians, are entitled to, are not made available to them since they have converted to Christianity.
On 6 June, the same group of anti-Christian people massed up and staged a protest against the Christian activities in the area.

Source – EFI News

Rector murder: Christian community seeks answers

BANGALORE: It has been 23 days since the murder of Father KJ Thomas, rector of St Peter's pontifical seminary. With no word from the city police on who perpetrated the killing, a prayer meeting was held by the Christian voice forum at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral ground here on Tuesday, to appeal for speedy investigation by the city crime branch.

The meeting was solely held to "assert more pressure on the Bangalore police authorities to take action as soon as possible," stated Amith Nigli, forum member.

"It is very shocking that someone could enter a religious place and commit such a heinous crime on a priest," said Father Bernard Moraes, Archbishop of the Church of Karnataka, "The culprit must be found at the earliest, or it is going to give rise to many rumours and suspicions which we do not need right now."

Father Ronnie Prabhu said: "It isn't right to blame them (police) completely. Everything takes its own time, but we do need immediate answers and that's our only request to the authorities."

President of Karnataka region catholic bishops' conference (KRCBC), Father Archibald Gonsalves asked the crowd to fight for justice constantly. "Why is it taking as long as 23 days for them to catch the culprits?" he asked. "It was not just death that took him away, it was a murder and we need our answers."

A memorandum was issued by the KRCBC to be presented to the state governor seeking speedy investigation.

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Christian victims tell People’s Tribunal about arrests on false charges by highly communalized Karnataka police

PRESS STATEMENT

Christian victims tell People’s Tribunal about arrests on false charges by highly communalized Karnataka police

Sangh Parivar hoodlums had free hand in assault on pastors, demolishing churches during 2012-2013: Uttara Canara worst impacted.

Benguluru, April 19, 2013

More than 70 Christian Pastors told a People’s Tribunal in Bengaluru city today how a highly communalized Karnataka police arrested many of them and kept them confined in police stations or jails on false charges in league with hoodlums of the Sangh Parivar. Women too were also not spared. The Women victims broke down as they narrated the violence against them.

The victims remained in confinement from overnight to several days, the distinguished jury consisting of eminent social activists heard in the Tribunal organized by the All India Christian Council to assess the victimization and persecution of Christian pastors and attacks on churches in the state. It was quite clear from the narrations that Uttara Canara was the foci of the anti-Christian violence, but incidents of persecution were reported from every one of the 30 districts of the state during 2012 and in the first three months of 2013.

The “People’s Hearing on Persecution of Christians in Karnataka” was held at the Institute of Agriculture Technologists in the city. The Jury consisted of Mrs Brinda Adige, the celebrated Founder member of Global Concerns India, Advocate Omkar KB, and Mr K L Ashok, general secretary of Komu Souhardha Vedhike [Communal Harmony Front].and Mr. Mohamed Rafi Ahmed,General Secretay Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity.

The Public Hearing comes in the wake of  the statement by former Karnataka High court judge Michael Saldanha that Karnataka had witnessed 1,000 cases of persecution of Christians in  three years between 2010 and 2012 – an average of more than  300 a year. This was the situation in 2012 also.  Most of the victims remain in great fear. Of the 200 persons requested to come to the hearing, only 80 agreed to come. But all of them were afraid of what would happen to them if they spoke in public at the hearing. Many asked the Christian Council how they would be protected if anything happened to them after they gave their evidence.

From the statements of the victim, it is clear that the police have been heavily penetrated and politicized under the BJP rule of Mr. B S Yediyurappa and of his successors, while local thugs and Sangh activists across the state have been encouraged to take the law into their own hands. Many villages show a sharp increase in intolerance, encouraged by the inaction of police forces. Incidents of intolerance included Sangh Parivar members goading villages to stop the construction of churches, demolition of existing structures and stopping people from preaching or peacefully distributing literature. Witnesses identified their attackers as belonging to RSS, the Bajrang Dal and some local frontal organizations. 

Justice was procured only after the victims approached the local and higher courts. The High Court had to intervene in one case to allow the construction of a religious structure.

The victims were, in essence, suffered four types of persecution – those who were imprisoned, those who had their churches destroyed, those who were physically assaulted and beaten up by mobs, and others who were stopped from praying or preaching.

Speaking on behalf of the jury, Advocate Omkar said it was clear the machinery of the state was used by the radical political elements to harass the Christian community and specially the pastors and religious leaders. There was a well-organized anti-Christian violence in 2008. It seems there is still a strong nexus between the police, the local village chiefs, tehsildhars against the community at the behest of the Sangh Parival. The state is also fully culpable. Advocate Omkar said the protectors had become the attackers.

Mr. K. Ashok called upon the community to make common cause with the civil society and progressive forces in asserting fundamental rights including freedom of faith. He also called for legal literacy in the community.

Mr. Mohamed Rafi Ahmed said it was heart rendering to hear the tales of horror and the many incidents of police complicity the Bajrang Dal and others. The Government must take notice of it. India has a secular Constitution and it is the right of every citizen to practice,  profess and propagate his faith. He asked the victims to stand for firm and pursue justice with the perseverance

The All India Christian Council expressed its deep regret at the inaction of the State Government and the State Minority Commission in coming to the rescue of the persecuted Christians.  The Council demanded that the Governor and Chief Minister send out categorical instructions to every police station to take notice of such incidents of violence and take stern action the aggressors.

The Council has also demanded a single-window redressal  system by the State Director General of Police to  listen to complaints because local police station are not recording the incidents, said Dr. John Dayal, Member, National Integration Council and Secretary General of All India Christian Council.

The testimonies have been recorded and are available for the press and the government. Copies will be sent to the concerned departments and a copy will be sent to the Chief Justice of Karnataka.

For further details, please contact,

Rev. Kumar Swamy, National Secretary for Public Affairs aicc, 09980917316

Rev Anand Kumar, State coordinator aicc 9739810548

and Dr John Dayal, Secretary General, aicc, 09811021072

Christian Priest Beaten and Murdered

Police in India are still searching for the murder suspects after the priest and rector of a major Catholic seminary was found beaten to death on Thursday.

Priest and rector K.J. Thomas was found dead in Bangalore’s main Catholic seminary.

K.J. Thomas, age 64, was discovered by another priest lying in a pool of blood in the corridor near his room at Bangalore’s ‘St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary’ early Monday, April 1, police and Christians said.

Archbishop Moras explained: “Early today I received the shocking and the sad news of the most brutal murder of Fr K J Thomas, Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore in the early hours of 1 April. I immediately rushed to the Seminary to initiate the Investigation. The top police officials came to the spot and are investigating this murder case. This is a most heinous crime… Please pray for the repose of his soul, and consolation and strength to the bereaved family members to accept this irreparable loss.”

The motivation for the murder is still unclear, although at least three individuals appear to have been involved. The students were all away on holiday at the time. Fr Thomas’ room was ransacked but, as far as they could judge, the police found the priest’s valuables intact.

Fr Patrick Xavier, the seminary Procurator, discovered the body and raised the alarm. Preliminary investigations suggest that the 65 year-old Rector died as a result of “severe head injuries.”

Fr Thomas, a native of Kerala, had taught Systematic Theology in the seminary for more than 30 years and, at his death, was serving his second term as Rector.




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