Pastor goes missing in Hyderabad

From our correspondent

Pastor K Chandra Paul (48), who went missing 19 days ago, was in the habit of calling up his family members every hour whenever he went out.

After setting out on his motorcycle on 28 January 2006 from his house in Papireddy Colony of Chandanagar in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Paul was in touch with his wife Kumari and sons - Adam and Anand - for two days. "We have not heard from him from 30 January 2006. His mobile phone becoming inaccessible is making us nervous," Adam, working as a sales officer with a private firm, said.

Paul had told his family that he was going out to offer prayers. They were not sure where exactly he went. Adam was with his in-laws at Rajahmundry on 28 January 2006 when his father rang up on his mobile saying he was going out.

On the following morning, when Adam arrived in the city, his father called up again saying he was in Secunderabad on some work and would reach home in a day or two. Since he was available on phone, they were not worried. However, the mobile link went off from 30 January 2006.

After waiting for four days, Adam approached the Chandanagar police. "On the suggestion of some police constables familiar to me, I began to check up with my father's friends and our relatives," a worried Adam said.

Finally, he lodged a complaint with the police on 13 February 2006 who booked a case of missing person. "So far, the pastor's vehicle and mobile phone have not been traced. According to his family members, he doesn't have enemies," Balanagar ACP Satyanarayana Reddy said.

Hailing from Tenali in Guntur district, Chandra Paul earlier worked with the Forest Department before joining the Andhra Christian Theological College. He was appointed pastor of Girinagar Church in Jeedimetla five years ago.

Apprehensive of some mischief, All India Christian Council (aicc) sent a fact-finding team headed by its Andhra Pradesh state coordinator Rev Satyam Yellasari. An FIR was subsequently registered at Chandanagar police station. The Christian Council's prompt action came against the background of the brutal murder of two pastors Daniel and Isaac Raju in Hyderabad in the recent past. Incidentally Pastor Chandra Paul is also associated with the same Pastors fellowship "Inter Denominational Pastors Association" which operates under Cyberabad Police commissionerate limits.

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Tribal Christians Withstand Insults, Threats To Continue In Faith

February 18, 2006

JARSOL, India (UCAN) -- Dawood Devaria and other tribal people who are not Hindus have to take insults, and sometimes assert their religious identity, as was evident during a recent Hindu fair in his village in western India.

"Get out from here now or I will push you out," Devaria, a Protestant, shouted to a right-wing Hindu activist who asked him to leave Christianity and join Hinduism.

Satyanand Gamit, the Hindu activist, had used crude language to accuse Devaria and other tribal Christians of converting in exchange for free medicine and food from missioners. Alongside Gamit stood a group of people from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, national volunteer corps), wearing saffron headbands.

They came to Jarsol village in Gujarat state to participate in a three-day Hindu fair that ended Feb. 13. The RSS, an umbrella body of Hindu nationalist groups, was among the organizers of the fair, called Shabari Kumbh, in a remote tribal area in Dangs district.

The group is accused of perpetrating anti-Christian violence in various parts of India, including Dangs. In several violent incidents in 1998, Hindu activists attacked Christians including priests and nuns.

But such violence seems to have hardened the faith and minds of tribal people against Hindu militancy.

Devaria shot a volley of questions toward Gamit and his group: "It is my right to do whatever I want to do. Who are you to question me? Are you from this area? Who are you to inquire about my ancestry?" The activists, like most of the 200,000 people who attended the fair, came from outside the district. Faced with uncomfortable questions, they began to retreat.

Devaria continued to shiver in anger, which also made him stammer, as he continued to shout. His wife, Fulnaben, and friends stood by him to protect him in case of a fight. But he cooled down after Gamit started to back away.

Life as a Christian has been tough, Devaria admits. At least nine of the 12 Christian families in Jarsol temporarily moved to relative's houses in neighboring villages as the fair approached, fearing violence, he said in an emotion-filled voice. He and the others who refused to move were given armed security by the administration. He told UCA News that he refused to move out because he doubles as a pastor for the Pentecostal Church in his compound when regular pastors cannot come.

His church was completely destroyed during the 1998 violence. It was rebuilt a year later and was among the first places given security cover after the Hindu groups announced plans for their fair.

Devaria's house and the church stand opposite Shabari Dham, a reservoir built for Hindus to take a ritual bath to wash away sins, a feature of the mela (festivals) held at regular intervals at pilgrimage sites (dham) along holy rivers. The fair site is not among these. Devaria said part of his land was "forcibly taken away" by Hindu groups as they prepared for the event.

"This is our land where we have been living for hundreds of years. But they encroached on it," he said, showing some land near the reservoir. "They have also succeeded in dividing villagers between Christians and Hindus," he said.

As Devaria's temper cooled down, Gamit came back but stood at a distance. The tribal Hindu from neighboring Nashik district in Maharashtra state said a Christian agency worked in the Jarsol area providing tribal people with material support. It later converted some of them, he claimed.

"If this is wrong, please tell me how these people became Christians?" he asked the onlookers in a soft voice, deliberately avoiding Devaria.

But Devaria came rushing at him. "Mind your own business. You have no business to question me. Who are you?" he shouted. This time Fulnaben and a Christian neighbor, Janu Ramu, held him back.

Gamit continued from a safe distance. "I admit these people have been neglected for a long time. But that doesn't mean they should convert to whosoever offered them money," he insisted, moving nearer to a security guard.

M.R. Khushwah, the police constable posted to guard the church, told UCA News there has been "a regular flow of people" asking Devaria to become Hindu. "The conviction by which he resists such attempts -- monetary offers and physical threats -- is exemplary. I might have fallen for such traps," the policeman said. Observing that Christians become offended when they are accused of accepting money to become Christians, Khushwah said he was witness to their simple life and hospitality, despite their being poor.

For example, Fulnaben borrowed wheat and maize flour and made bread for the police, who find it difficult to obtain food while being posted in the village, even though they get a food allowance.

Fulnaben challenged allegations that the Christians took money to change their religion. "If we had money as alleged by this guy, we would not have gone begging to feed these policemen. It pains when donkeys like this make such allegations," she said, pointing to Gamit.

Janu Ramu said the Christians in the village are "made of steel and will not succumb to pressures." The shabbily dressed tribal man continued: "We know this is only a beginning. But we are ready for a fight, not with weapons but psychologically. Let us see whose willpower will succeed."

Devaria's encounter is something faced by "each and every Christian in the area in the past two decades," says Father Anthony Myladumpura, who has been working in the area that long. "I must admit these poor Christians are not only committed but they have successfully withstood the onslaught of these groups," the Jesuit priest told UCA News after hearing of the incident. "That is why, when I see them, I see the Kingdom of God. I see myself as a humble worker at their service," he said.

Many tribal people such as Motilal Bhoi, who follow their own tribal religion, have been approached to take a symbolic bath at the newly built dham and become a Hindu. Bhoi refused, however, saying they have their own "mountain god."

"They put vermilion paste on my forehead and said I am the follower of (Hindu god) Ram. They also asked to me hail him. When I refused, they abused me saying I was acting on behalf of the Christian priests," Bhoi, a daily wage laborer, told UCA News. He admitted he was a beneficiary of social development projects undertaken by a Christian agency, but he asserted that nobody had asked him to convert to Christianity.

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Persecution does not stop the Gospel

The team of Gospel for Asia Bible college students and staff was on evangelistic outreach when the trouble came. People opposed to the Gospel approached them, grabbed one of the GFA staff members and locked him in a room for three hours. There, they forced him to pronounce names of their gods. After torturing him, they released him.

On another occasion, anti-Christian elements disrupted a prayer meeting, beating pastors and believers very severely. And in another recent incident, stones were pelted at a GFA Believers Church leader and others.

Also recently, a local government official contacted area Christian leaders for information about the work of missionaries under them. And, as a GFA leader reports, anti-Christian groups are paying some of their people to report back to them with such information as well. Their intent is to create problems for the work of the Gospel.

Such opposition in this area is part of a rising tide of persecution in India's central region. A GFA leader there writes that "our people [in this area] are facing considerable pressure and difficulties in the ministry."

"Our prayer is that the Lord may give grace and power to them to stand firm in the faith," he adds. "For as Paul said in Romans 8:35, 37, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.'"

Please pray for GFA missionaries and Believers Church congregations in this area. Many have come to Christ through their witness. Let us pray that even more will—especially their persecutors! These missionaries are prepared to endure such opposition for the sake of Christ and reaching the lost He died to save. But as they face it, they draw strength and comfort from the Lord through your prayers for them.

Courtesy: GFA

More "re-conversions" in Orissa

by Nirmala Carvalho

A new ceremony was held which "allowed 25 tribal Christians to re-embrace the true faith". John Dayal: "The law should be the same for all, but when it is Hindus who convert, no one utters a word."

Rourkela (AsiaNews) - The Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP, a youth paramilitary movement of nationalist Hindus) yesterday organized a "re-conversion" ceremony in Rourkela village in Orissa. In this ceremony, at least 25 tribal people of Christian faith "returned to Hinduism". Around 500 residents of Sundargarh district participated in the function; Mitrabhanu Panda, VHP president for the district and Gadadhar Sahu, national secretary, were present.

"This defies logic," John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union, told AsiaNews. "The VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, paramilitary, nationalistic organization) want a ban on conversions, but they turn a blind eye when it comes to 're-conversions' to Hinduism."

The activist said "the scorn these organizations have for the law is evident: if they believed in the equality of the law for all, they would also call for the arrest of Hindu activists and not only arrest and molest priests and pastors regularly because of their work."

Fr Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said: "These acts of re-conversion are suspect; tribals are often intimidated by diverse forms of violence and they have neither the preparedness nor the means to ask for help."

He added: "The authorities should help them in some way."

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Hindus transform church into temple

Vijay Upadhyay / Etah

An 18-year-old church in village Bhojpur in Etah district was finally transformed into a temple by Hindu activists and 300 dalit Christians given "Yagyopaveet". According to sources in the Hindu Jagran Vibhag (HJV), despite regular re-conversions by Hindu organisations in rural India, the number of Christian convertees is growing, especially in the rural parts of western Uttar Pradesh.

Rajshwar Singh, provincial head, HJV, said his outfit had set up a team of 600 Hindu activists to investigate into the reasons for the growing number of dalit Christians in the region. This team recently submitted a report that pointed out the existence of a number of churches without a single Christian around.

Accordingly, he said, a campaign was designed by Hindu organisations to wipe out these churches neutralise their effect, some of which came up 15-20 years ago. He said the presence of these churches was having a serious impact on the dalit community, which was being mistakenly seen as dalits embracing Christianity.

The HJV arranged for a re-conversion function in Bhojpur village about 15 km from Etah, where a church was being operated by the New Apostle Church organisation of Canada. According to Mr Singh, Vijay Maseeh, the church priest, agreed to give away the possession of this church to the village when contacted.

Mr Singh said on Wednesday, a function was held in the church premises by the Vibhaag and 300 dalit Christians, frequenters to this church, were especially brought for reconversion along with Vijay Maseeh who gave the first offering in the yagna held inside the church. After the ceremony, the church was "purified" by Hindu priests, the cross removed from the apex of the building and replaced by the Hindu symbol of Om and idols of Durga were placed.

After the ceremony, the Vibhaag declared a grand temple shall soon replace this building that has been used as a church for a very long time.

Notably, Etah has been the centre of conversions and re-conversions scuffle between Christian and Hindu organisations.

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Christian Couple sent to Jail in Kukshi, Madhya Pradesh

According to reports received, a Christian couple in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh have been arrested and put to jail in the morning of the 12th February 2006.

Mr. Rajendra Nehemiah and his wife Vineeta Nehemiah, both government servants, have been charged with assisting in the crime of abduction and rape of a minor about 4 months ago. The couple denies any involvement in the act but have been booked under IPC 120 (D), 376 and 393.

About 4 months ago a young boy called Abhishek went missing with a 12 year old girl called Hemlata and resurfaced after 20 -25 days. According to the girl's testimony Abhishek had kidnapped and raped her, while Abhishek claimed that he had taken the girl to get her admitted in a school.

The parent's of the girl filed a complaint and Abhishek and 2 others were put behind bars. The Nehemiah's did not figure in the FIR or in the 161 statement till then.

A few days ago however, the girl wanted to change her statement and filed a 164 statement before the magistrate in Indore also naming the Nehemiah's as co-accused.

Moving on this the police today arrested the couple on the pretext of investigation and quickly also presented them before a magistrate, thus moving them to jail by the afternoon.

The story however has another side. The Nehemiah's deny knowing Abhishek well enough. The chief cause of their arrest as put by local Christians is the conspiracy by VHP activists in the area.

According to information Abhishek is not even from Kukshi but from Jhabua and the only reason that the Nehemiah's have been targeted is because they have been conducting prayer meetings for Christians in their home for some time now.

Tribals urged to 'return home'

Manas Dasgupta

An estimated three lakh tribals turn up for 'Shabri Kumbh'

AHWA (DANGS): A call for "ghar wapasi," (return home) was issued to the converted tribals from the dais at the inauguration of the three-day "Shabri Kumbh" in the remote tribal-dominated district in south Gujarat on Saturday.

Led by the Chief Cinister, Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the event, prominent sadhus and saints occupying the dais ridiculed the Christian institutions and voluntary organisations for expressing apprehensions about the "safety" of the minorities in the district in the saffron surge and asked the "foreign religious leaders" of other communities to "stay away" from the tribals in the State.

No `force or lure'

Contrary to the earlier claims of the organisers that the "Shabri Kumbh" had nothing to do with re-conversion, the chief organiser of the event, Kailash Sharma, "appealed" to the "misled" tribals to "return home" and tendered an apology if Hinduism had ever "ignored" them in the past emphasising that the tribals were always "an inseparable part of Hinduism." Besides Mr. Sharma, other speakers also supported the call but made it clear that no amount of "force or lure" should be used to reconvert the tribals who had "gone astray."

Mr. Modi went to the extent of suggesting that he saw nothing wrong if even the State government extended support to the "reconversion" efforts pointing out that the country's Constitution had put an obligation on the governments to prevent religious conversions "by force or by lure." But, he said, he would be considered a "criminal" by the over-zealous voluntary organisations and enthusiastic foreign missionaries if he made any such suggestion as the Chief Minister.

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Modi Resumes Hindutva Chant

SUBIR (DANGS): "Aa laut ke aaja mere meet, tujhe mere geet bulati hai..," this soulful Mukesh number was no Valentine Day ballad, but Morari Bapu's chant asking tribal converts to return to the Hindu fold.

As two lakh people thronged the Pampa Sarovar at Shabri Kumbh in Dangs on Saturday, the motive behind the mela was clear — another reconversion drive.

Slipping back to his aggressive Hindutva mould, chief minister Narendra Modi joined religious leaders in exhorting 'converted tribals' to adopt their 'own religion.' Without mincing words, Modi, Morari Bapu and Asaram Bapu said that conversion would not be tolerated.

"Conversion of tribals by offering them medical services and providing food will not be tolerated and its time now to return home," was the common refrain.

The dais was cramped with Dangi tribal 'sadhus' and Bhil leaders posturing in front of a garish poster of Ram killing Ravana. Spewing sarcasm at the Congress and NGOs, Modi "thanked certain people" for making the event successful.

"First of all, I would like to thank Congress leader Arjun Singh who discussed the Shabri Kumbh with Sonia Gandhi and abused its organisers for almost half-an-hour.

I also would like to thank those 'jhola chhap' people for raking up the issue and bringing it to the notice of the rest of the world.

And finally I would like to thank the media which for a change has given positive reports on the event." "Whatever we have said and done in Kumbh was purely according to the Indian Constitution which clearly mentions that conversion by means of force or temptation is against the law.

Whatever is happening in Dangs is not good for the tribals and every effort to take them away from Ram will fail in the end." Morari Bapu, who mooted the idea of the Shabri Kumbh, began by quoting the Bible.

He said, "The Bible says that conversion by means of allurement is a sin and a person doing this and the person who gets converted would go to hell. I wish Christians follow the Bible".

Claiming that missionaries are luring people by offering medical services and food, Morari Bapu said, "A sick tribal goes to a doctor (missionary), they treat them and ask them to convert.

Now the tribals have realised that it is not good to be in the hospital for long and they want to return home to Hinduism."

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Kumbh Day 1: Message for missionaries

ABHISHEK KAPOOR

Posted online: Sunday, February 12, 2006 at 0046 hours IST

SHABARI KUMBH SITE (DANGS) FEBRUARY 11: Quoting from the Bible and a Bollywood number, it was an open call from kathakar Morari Bapu to missionaries, asking them to stop conversions. Stressing his liberal credentials, he even asked them to cooperate in the ghar vaapsi programme of those tribal Christians who wanted to come back to their 'parent' religion.

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, on the other hand, quoted Mahatma Gandhi to say it was his constitutional duty to see that no conversions took place. RSS chief K S Sudarshan, however, chose only to watch the proceedings from the dais with Asaram Bapu among others.

The inauguration of the Shabari Kumbh at the sprawling site in the forests of Ahwa-Dangs proved what it was supposed to: a show of Hindutva strength, and a warning to missionaries to stay away from conversions.

Supported by the state government, the religious heads wanted all induced conversions -poaching, as they term it - stopped. Calling the missionaries and their supporters pakhandis and hypocrites, Morari Bapu chose to remind them of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Addressing a crowd of more than two lakh devotees, Morari Bapu quoted from the Gospel of Luke in the Bible to say that even Christ's word forbade conversions. "It is hypocrisy to not follow what you preach. When the Bible says do not convert, please don't. It is great that you are good doctors, and have the money to help poor and ailing. But once they have been healed, let them go back home (re-convert) as good doctors do."

Raising the rhetorical pitch, Morari Bapu went on to ask, "Are induced conversions are good but is coming back home bad? Plane-loads from the Vatican can come here and carry out conversions, but if we organise a ghar vaapsi, it is bad. Let everyone be clear that this programme is about peace and tolerance as characterised by the Hindu ethos. No one should be scared of it," he said.

Modi for his part ridiculed those who opposed the Kumbh as "Macaulay's sons". "Mahatma Gandhi fought conversions," he said. "Our Constitution disapproves of them, and yet some people turn a blind eye."

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Kumbh's agenda: Anti-conversion

Rathin Das

Subir (Dangs), February 12, 2006

Confirming the apprehensions of Christian and human rights organisations, the first-ever 'Shabari Kumbh' began with a tirade against alleged conversions of tribals in the district. Speeches of organisers, religious leaders and the chief minister left no one in doubt that the real purpose of the congregation is to kick start a campaign against conversions by missionaries. The practice of conversions had been the bone of contention in the district for nearly a decade now.

The tone and tenor of the three-day session was set by Satyamitranandgiri Maharaj of Bharat Mata temple in Haridwar when he told the locals to accept milk, food and medicines (from missionaries) but "do not agree to change your religion". "Medicines, education and clothes are welcome but not your religion, the missionaries should be told," the saint warned the crowd of nearly a lakh. Urging the people to stay clear of allurements, the saint asked them to 'keep the pollution of conversion away from India'.

Chief minister Narendra Modi had a dig at secularists, NGOs and the media by saying that by crying hoarse about 'Shabari Kumbh' for weeks, they gave enough publicity to it. The Kumbh wouldn't have got more publicity even if formal invites were sent to the media, Modi said. He ridiculed the "Macaulay children" and NGOs for what he called 'defaming Hindutva abroad'.

Ramayana narrator Morari Bapu, who had originally floated the idea of Shabari Kumbh during a discourse in 2002, even quoted from a version of the Bible to drive home the point that conversion was a sin. "They are violating their own religion by converting people with the lure of medicines and money," Morari Bapu said without naming the missionaries. Justifying the re-conversion campaign by the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, Morari Bapu said there is nothing wrong if some one returns home after being cured through medication.

The saffron surge in the dry forest area spread over several square kilometres was apparent with small saffron triangular flags hoisted atop non-descript tribal huts as security forces guarded all Christian institutions in the district.

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Christian missionaries trying to end Hinduism: Togadia

DANGS (GUJARAT), FEB 12 (PTI)

The issue of religious conversion was in focus at the Shabri Kumbh mela for the second today with senior VHP leader Pravin Togadia accusing Christian missionaries of coming to Gujarat to "eradicate" Hinduism.

"Christianity is just 2000 years old while Islam came to India in the 14th century but Lord Krishna was born 5000 years ago and Lord Ram was born eight lakh years ago," Togadia told a mass gathering at the mela in this forest and tribal district.

"On an average, only three people go to the church at the Vatican and the same is the case with England where only seven per cent attend prayers," Togadia said in a mocking tone adding "the Vatican would be taken over by Hinduism if it did not mend its ways".

"In America, there are 50,000 yoga centres and people around Europe and America are embracing Hinduism," Togadia told the gathering.

He sad if Christianity wants to save itself from Osama Bin laden it will have to enter into a pact with Hindus to save Christians from terrorist attacks.

"The rate of religious conversions has increased after the UPA government came to power," Togadia charged.

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Missionaries booked for conversion

MAJID JAHANGIR

SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 8: The J-K Police today swooped down on a Christian missionary group for using "earthquake relief as a means to convert people in far-flung villages along the LoC" and seized cassettes, Urdu-translations of the New Testament and other materials from the group. A case has also been registered against the Bible Society of India.

"Under the garb of relief, they (missionaries) were trying to convert people, promising them money and houses in Srinagar city in exchange for the change of faith," IGP, Kashmir, K Rajendra said.

"We will not allow it to happen. Instead of coming to the help of quake victims, they are making relief a bait for conversion."

The police said a group of missionaries from the Kashmir chapter of the Bible Society of India had been visiting Madian village in Uri sector. "On January 25, they had distributed gas cylinders, three water bottles, audio cassettes and a copy of the New Testament in Urdu besides other material to each of the 230 families of the village," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Baramulla-Kupwara, Mohammad Subhan Lone said.

Lone said the police had ordered a probe after the locals protested against the missionaries. "This could turn into a law and order problem. We have filed a case and are investigating the matter," he said.

It is learnt that Lone has submitted a report about the missionaries' activities in quake-hit areas. The Police said their probe has revealed that the group operates from Nishat, Srinagar, and that a local resident Mukhtar - who runs an educational institution - had been acting as their guide in the area."

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Life in Danger for 'Friend of Outcasts'

To the "outcasts" of society, Believers Church Pastor Kawal has been a true friend. But today his life is on the line because of religious oppression, and he needs the prayers of his Christian brothers and sisters around the world.

Kawal serves the Lord in North India, reaching out to a community where many low-caste tribals live. In the system that governs their society, they are looked down on and trampled upon by those of higher castes.

With Christ's compassion for these oppressed people, Kawal began visiting homes with a listening ear, prayers, and the Good News of Jesus Christ. They marveled, because most people wouldn't even think about visiting their homes or associating with them!

Kawal gained their trust with his kindness, and they began to flock to his home as well, asking for prayer. Through such outreach, 50 precious souls were won for Christ-and a church was planted. New believers counted it a privilege to worship the Lord in the home of the kind pastor who called them friends. Then five people began to meet with Kawal for special training so they, too, could labor to reach the lost.

Kawal rejoiced. But like any pastor in his situation, he also saw the need for a more suitable building to accommodate his growing flock. That was when the trouble started.

A few days after the believers began constructing their church, local anti-Christian groups strongly vocalized their opposition, even monitoring outside visitors to the site. Despite such setbacks, the Christians slowly continued construction. They rejoiced to see all four walls come up . . . but more harassment came as a mob of 40 people surrounded the building, intimidating the workers and demanding they stop construction.

The believers were encouraged when Christians from other churches came out one night to help them complete the tin roof. But the word spread quickly in the village, and a mob came out the next day to threaten them yet again.

As the leader, Pastor Kawal was specifically singled out. Hearing of the mob's intent to harm him, many advised him to leave the area. It was an agonizing decision, but for his safety Pastor Kawal traveled to a temporary, undisclosed location.

Please pray for protection for this dedicated pastor and his wife, their four children, and this young Believers Church congregation. Pray that each person will stand strong for Christ and will be aware of the heavenly Father's comforting presence at all times. And pray for all tension in this area to subside, and that the persecutors will be drawn to the Father through the love lived out by the Christians. Pray that this congregation's dreams of having its own church building will be fulfilled.

Courtesy: GFA

U.S. missionaries deported from Kerala capital for visa violations

By K.Asif, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Three American missionaries were deported from Kerala capital Thrivananthapuram on Friday for violating visa norms.

The missionaries - Terrel Davis Heze, Van Meter Carl Micheal and Taylor David Lee—had come to India on business and tourists visas and were charged with conducting crusader programmes in the state.

They were deported from Thiruvananthapuram following complaints from the Neyyattinkara Taluk Committee of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and RSS.

According to Hindu Aikya Vedi and RSS, these evangelists had violated the visa rules by conducting revival crusade programmes in two areas on the Kerala Tamil Nadu border, which was stopped by the police.

"Today we deported three persons named Terrel Davis Heze, Van Meter Carl Micheal and Taylor David Lee because they violated visa conditions," said S. Suresh Kumar, Circle Inspector.

The missionaries, however, claim that they are returning to the United States voluntarily.

Last year, Dr Nanditha Krishna, Chairperson of the C P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, alleged that the ecological traditions of India, especially in Kerala, were facing a serious threat in the form of religious conversion. This view was also supported by other noted environmental scientists, technologists and ecologists.

Dr Nanditha pointed out that the alarming rate at which religious conversions all over the country were taking place had destroyed forests and holy groves (popularly known as Kaavus in Kerala).She also pointed out with statistics that many dense forests and groves in north east India had become the main target of the Christian missionaries.

M Amrithalingam, a well known botanist and ecologist with more than two decades of research experience in the ecological system of south India said that unless something was done to arrest the destruction of the holy groves, the country could face serious crises, like drought and shortage of water.

"While we had small sized forests attached to the Hindu tharavadus in Kerala, urbanization and religious conversion have denuded them. There were many scientific reasons for worshipping forests, animals and groves," Amrithalingam had claimed.

Last month, RSS leader A Gopalakrishnan that Kerala had become a testing lab of global Islamic terrorism. Delivering the keynote address, he also referred to the demand by the Christian community for reservation benefits for the Christian converts from Dalit communities, and said that such demands would help increase the number of religious conversions in the state.

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Villagers Brutally Beat Christians in Orissa State, India

Eruption of Hindu violence linked to anti-Christian propaganda.

NEW DELHI, February 3 (Compass) - Extremists encouraged Hindu residents of a village in Malkangiri district, Orissa state, to attack Christian residents on January 24. At least 10 Christians were injured and two were hospitalized.

The attack took place at about 8 a.m. while 14 Christian families and four missionaries from the Indian Evangelical Team (IET) were at a believer's house in Koikonda village, said Satya Das Benya, IET’s district coordinator.

Only 15 of approximately 300 families in the village are Christian.

A number of Christians had gathered at the home of Salvam Gangi on January 23 for a worship meeting and stayed overnight. Members of the Hindu extremist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) apparently heard the sound of singing and called for a village meeting on the morning of January 24.

Immediately after the RSS meeting, a group of about 50 villagers surrounded Gangi’s home and demanded that the four missionaries - Vijay Kumar, Baldas Gopal, Ramesh Sulah and Gideon Challan – come out of the house.

As soon as the missionaries complied, the mob started beating them and then attacked other Christians who were in the house.

Kumar fell unconscious after the beatings and did not regain consciousness until three days later. He and Gopal were both hospitalized with serious internal injuries, although doctors have now declared them "out of danger."

Village pastor Salvam Samu received minor injuries, along with three men and four women.

Samu tried to lodge an official complaint on January 26, but the police said they were "too busy" to talk to him. When IET missionary Sulah approached police officials the next day, they accepted his written complaint but failed to give him a signed carbon copy as required by law.

Sulah's report named 11 of the attackers.

At press time, police had made no attempt to arrest the accused. Fearing further violence, Christian residents did not meet for worship on Sunday (January 29).

When Compass spoke with Yatinda Koyal, superintendent of police in Malkangiri district, Koyal said the victims had not lodged a formal complaint. When he was given evidence that a complaint had been filed, he pleaded ignorance, saying he had been "away from the office for the last three days."

Hindu residents had attacked Christians a year ago, in January 2005, injuring several people including a pregnant woman. The police helped both parties reach a compromise, but Hindu villagers have continued to express hostility to the Christian minority.

Spreading Violence

Orissa is ruled by a coalition government consisting of the Biju Danata Dal party and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Anti-Christian violence has risen sharply in states ruled by the BJP since the beginning of the year. Christians blame hate propaganda distributed by the RSS and other extremist groups in preparation for a major Hindu "reawakening" event to be held this February in Dangs district of Gujarat state.

Four attacks on Christians in Madhya Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, were reported last week, immediately after the attack in Orissa. (See Compass Direct, "Extremists, Police Beat Christians in Madhya Pradesh," January 30.)

"The RSS wants no violence in Dangs at this time, but it wants the chant to continue in other states," Dr. John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council, told Compass.

Dayal said he expected violence against Christians in Dangs to break out after the Hindu rally scheduled for February 11 to 13.

A compact disc distributed by the RSS in Dangs and elsewhere describes Christianity as a dangerous foreign faith that must be eradicated from India.

Centre asks Gujarat to maintain law and order at the Shabari Kumbh

NEW DELHI: Concerned at the reports of a large congregation being planned from February 11 to 13 in the predominantly tribal district of Dangs in Gujarat by a Sangh Parivar outfit, the Centre on Thursday said efforts would be made to provide additional paramilitary forces to ensure that the "Shabri Kumbh Mela" passed off peacefully.

In a letter to the Gujarat Chief Secretary, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal suggested that extensive arrangements be made along the route leading from the bordering States and districts to the site. He also suggested that adequate security arrangements be made in the villages where the people of minority community live or there religious and educational institutions are located. Four companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), stationed in Ahmedabad, would be deployed in the area.

The three-day event is being organised by the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad at Shabri Dham near Jarsol in Dangs district. The district witnessed attacks on the Christian tribal population and their institutions during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in 1998.

With nearly 10 per cent of the population of the area being Christian tribals, the Parishad, a front organisation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), tries to discourage the others from getting converted to Christianity. The law and order situation in the Dangs and surrounding areas was reviewed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil at a meeting here on Wednesday.

The Ministry sent A.K. Mitra, Special Secretary (Internal Security), to Ahmedabad and Dangs on January 29 for a three-day visit to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. The Centre is keeping a close watch on the situation, sources in the Ministry told The Hindu.

Intelligence inputs said the Christians in the adjoining Nandurbar district in Maharashtra were also apprehensive of tension following the congregation and the programme of "Suddhikaran" (reconversion).

Several Christian organisations, including the All-Indian Christian Council, have urged the Gujarat Government and the Centre to take steps to ensure the safety of Christian missionaries and institutions.

Nearly three lakh tribals from across the country are likely to converge in the area to attend the programme, being dubbed as "Sabri Mahakumbh", which isaimed at protecting the Hindu religion from the foreigners. The three-day programme is likely to be attended, among others, by RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan, Sant Asaram and Morari Bapu. The "Mahakumbh" for tribals is aimed at mobilising their clan from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Another outfit "Shri Sabarimata Seva Samiti", affiliated to the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, has been active in Dangs over the past one-and-a-half decades. It has often accused the Christian missionaries of indulging in conversions under the pretext of social and religious services. It claims to have reconverted, on an average, 200-500 Christian tribals to Hinduism every year for the past few years.

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Missionaries beaten up in Orissa

23rd January 2006: Four IET (Indian Evangelical Team) missionaries namely P. Bijay Kumar, G. Baldash, Gideon Challan and Ramesh Suna had gone to village Koikonda of Motu Thehsil, Malkangiri District, Orissa State for a special meeting. Village Koikonda is more than 60 kms away from Malkangiri District.

The RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sewak) activists came to know about this meeting and went to the village in search of the missionaries. The miscreants interrupted the meeting and forcibly entered the venue. They took the missionaries out of the place of worship by force.

After pulling the Missionaries out the miscreants proceeded to beat them up inhumanly. Brother Bijay Kumar and Brother G. Baldash became unconscious because of the assault. The RSS activists then turned to the believers who were attending the meeting and brutally beat and harassed them.

The missionaries who were severely beaten up were taken to the District Hospital around 9 pm the same day. Among the missionaries three are under treatment but Bro. Bijay Kumar is very serious and has still not recovered from the trauma.

Complaint against the miscreants has been lodged in the local police station. Please pray for the missionaries and believers to overcome this shocking incidence.

As reported on email by the Indian Evangelical Team, New Delhi

Catholic Bishop, priests attacked in Maharashtra, India

Mumbai (ICNS) -- Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai and his three priests were pelted with stones as they opened a hostel for tribal children in a village.

A priest sustained head injuries in the Jan. 29 attack in Ghosali village of Mukada Taluka, which comes under Bishop Dabre's Vasai diocese in Maharashtra.

Bishop Dabre and Fathers Oneil Faroz, Philip Vaz and Andrew Rodrigues were inaugurating the Suryodaya Ashram, a hostel to help tribal children's education.

"Miscreants who allegedly belonged to the Bajrang Dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad numbering over a hundred were armed with sticks," according to a statement from Bombay Catholic Sabha (forum). Vasai was formerly part of Bombay archdiocese.

The attackers shouted slogans and threw stones at the gathering. "This was intimidation of its worst kind. Had it not to be for the strong opposition of the villagers, who repulsed the attack by the hooligans something worse could have happened," the statement said.

It said the presence of more than 300 members of the Bajrang Dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad triggered off ugly scenes.

The activists were under the impression that the educational institutions would convert some of the students to Christianity, informed Abraham Mathai, vice chairman of the Minorities Commission.

The statement wanted the "fascist elements" appreciate "the good work done" by the Church for the marginalized. It also asked the attackers "to have the guts to follow" Church's example of social service.

The statement said BCS officials have taken this matter with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

They have also contacted Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil to ensure "adequate protection" for Bishop Dabre, Suryodaya Ashram, its children and other the Christian Institutions in the Thane District, it said.

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More attacks against Christians in Madhya Pradesh

By Vijayesh Lal

31st January 2006: The night of 30th January 2006 was replete with reports of incidents against Christians in Madhya Pradesh.

The state already infamous for attacks on the Christian minority with as many as 4 attacks on the community since 25th January 2006 experienced more of it, with unconfirmed reports indicating at least 18 instances of violence against Christians as India mourned the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi refered to as the apostle of peace.

The first attack was in Betul in Madhya Pradesh where in Hindutva fundamentalists attacked and attempted to burn a Pentecostal Church. The Church pastored by Senior Pastor K T Samuel was broken into by miscreants. After vandalizing the Church they attempted to set the Church on fire.

The second attack took place in Banapura, District Hoshangabad. Between 12:00 – 1:00 in the night unidentified men broke in the Friend’s Church in Banapura and after vandalizing they set the Church gates on fire.

The police station of Banapura is just opposite the Church and as soon as policemen saw flames from the Church they came to the rescue thus making the attackers flee from the scene. It was the police personnel who doused the fire and protected the Church.

The Friend’s Church is a historical Church and is about 150 years old. It belonged to the UCNI and currently the CNI is the custodian of the Church. Ena Jiwan Masih, an elder of the Church has filed an FIR with the police. We spoke to Mr. David Nathaneal, one of the elders of the Church and he has expressed his concern at the attacks but was appreciative of the police action.

The third attack was again at a Friend’s Church but this time in the town on Itarsi. Unidentified people broke the Church lock and attempted to vandalize the Church, but a major mishap was averted when the miscreants ran when someone raised an alarm.

According to reports received unidnetified people attempeted to burn a Church in Mandla district too, but the police intervened at the right time and thus prevented a major mishap.

Bible Students Beaten to Near Death

01/28/2006: Three Gospel for Asia Bible college students were severely beaten, threatened with death and their literature burned while witnessing in Bihar state during India's annual Republic Day celebration.

The first-year students, Michel, Jaipal and Balkishore, were visiting homes in a village near Purnia when they were attacked by a group of anti-Christian militants. The radical Hindus beat the students, then took them to a youth hostel where they tied them to a tree and encouraged others in the hostel to urinate on them.

When the hostel residents hesitated, the militant youth beat the Bible students with bamboo sticks and kicked them before they were rescued by the residents.

Amid the celebration of India's independence from Britain, the radicals accused the Christians of being "agents for the British," and set fire to all of their literature.

"If you ever come again to our area, we will burn you like we burned these books," they warned the Bible students.

When the victims finally reached their Bible college that evening, they were described as "half dead" by their teacher. After being treated at a local hospital, the three returned to the school, their faces still swollen and their joints aching from the assault.

GFA President K.P. Yohannan asks Christians around the world to pray that the Lord will heal these courageous students, and that those who attacked them will come to know the love of Jesus instead of the fear that drives their blind hate for the Gospel.

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Capital Shame: Christian meeting attacked and participants assaulted in Bhopal

By Vijayesh Lal and Rahul Pant

28th January 2006: A Christian retreat was disrupted and Christians beaten up on Saturday morning in the state capital of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

The incident occurred when an all-day prayer retreat and training organized by the Hallelujah Church had just begun. The trouble began at 10:30 a.m. when miscreants belonging to the Bajrang Dal, the militant wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) forcefully entered the house of Freddy Prasad in Govindpuri area where the retreat had been organized and began beating the Christians who had gathered for the meeting. Before beating the participants, the goons pelted stones from outside and shouted anti-Christian slogans and accused the organizers of indulging in “forced conversions”.

Thereafter, the mob which consisted of around 60 Hindu fundamentalists, a number of whom were clad in saffron clothing and were wielding rods, lathis (sticks) and other sharp-edged weapons assaulted the Christians and ransacked the room in which the meeting was going on injuring at least 17 Christians.

While 6 Christians have sustained serious injuries and had to be rushed to the Kasturba hospital in Habibganj where they have been admitted, other Christians present at the venue of the meeting at the time of the attack have also been injured. The meeting was being conducted at the house of one Freddy Prasad who is a local Christian.

Pastor Sam Francis who was coordinating the all-day meeting and training was hit badly and has received fractures in his hands and legs. The RSS activists also damaged his vehicle, a Toyota Qualis, completely while Freddy Prasad's scooter was also damaged by the attackers and the window panes of his house smashed.

Kishore Sadhwani, a Sindhi background Christian, who had been invited as the main-speaker to address the gathering has also received a fracture in one of his hands and eight stitches on his head. Reportedly he is also suffering from a blood clot because of the beatings and has been vomiting blood.

The others who have sustained serious injuries in the attack include Majit Masih, Lal Chand and Ivan Pereira all of whom are evangelists.

While the leader of opposition and others have visited the injured in the hospital, no one from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party has bothered to enquire about the condition of the Christians who were attacked.

The regional media has reported the attack on Christians as a case of personal rivalry between two groups and the Superintendent of Police (SP) has issued a statement in the media saying that there have been only minor injuries to those who were attacked.

The very fact that such an attack has taken place in the State capital raises concerns over the rapidly deteriorating situation of law and order in the state and the complete failure on part of the state government to protect the minorities in the state. The local Christians have condemned the incident and have demanded that the state government provide adequate security to the Christian community all across the state.

This is the third recorded attack on the Minority Christian community in the state of Madhya Pradesh within the past three days.

Christian leaders locked up on false charges at Jabalpur on Republic day

By Vijayesh Lal

Three Christian leaders belonging to the Church of Nazrene were arrested Thursday the 26th January 2006 at Jabalpur on grounds of indulging in forced conversion of tribals.

According to sources, in a well-planned move by the local unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh affiliated Dharama Raksha Manch (or Religion Defence Platform) two Christian leaders residing in the Civil Lines area of Jabalpur and one Christian leader from Dindori, close to Jabalpur, were falsely accused by the Hindu fundamentalists of forcibly converting and attempting to forcibly convert 23 tribals from Dindori.

The local police acting on the directions of Sudhir Agarwal of Dharam Raksha Samiti conducted a raid on the Gurudev lodge in Madan Mahal area of Jabalpur in order to scare the tribals who had voluntarily put up at the lodge to spend the night while on their way to attend a Christian convention organized by the Church of Nazarene at Nagpur city in Maharashtra. The tribals were going to participate in the convention by their own free will from 27th January 2006 onwards.

After conducting the raid at the lodge, the police under the leadership of City Police-Inspector Siddarth Chaudhary arrested the three Christian leaders namely Pravin Pawar, Sanat Pawar and Maclin Masih. They were arrested and put into custodial lock-up where they were till the writing of this report.

The three Christians have been accused and booked under Section 420 and Article 4 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance. The police have also confiscated Christian literature, documents related to the Church of Nazrene and 35 passenger tickets of a private bus agency.

Anti-Christian reports appearing in the regional media have made the situation critical as it may lead to a flare up in the situation leading to further attacks on the Christian community. According to these completely one-sided and biased reports investigations have revealed that 23 tribals were being taken from Dindori district to Nagpur to forcibly make them participate in a convention of the Christian community in order to convert them forcefully. False allegations of enticing the tribals to Christianity by lure of money and under the pretext of taking them for sight-seeing have been levied by the police on the falsely accused Christians.

When we spoke to the Police Inspector Mr. Siddharth Chaudary, he maintained that the Christians arrested had conspired to convert the poor tribals by luring them for sightseeing and promising them physical healing through prayer during the convention.

Mrs. Indira Iyengar, member of the Madhya Pradesh State Minority Commission spoke to us where in she informed that she too had spoken to the police officials in Jabalpur and they had appeared biased against the Christians. When Mrs. Iyengar questioned a senior police official as to why the Christians had been arrested when the tribals were going to Nagpur of their own free will, she did not receive an answer. The police also kept mum when Mrs. Iyengar questioned them as to how three Christians can force 23 tribals to travel to a place they did not want to go?

As the misinformation against Christians was spread by the Hindu fundamentalists among Hindus living in and around the Gurudev lodge, a large mob of Hindus, mostly mobilized by the Dharma Raksha Samiti, gathered together and beat the Christians black and blue. They continued to thrash the Christians even as the police tried to register a case against the Christians. Activists belonging to the militant wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak sangh shouted anti-Christian slogans while all this was going on and tried to incite communal frenzy.

However when we spoke to Mr. Chaudhary, he denied reports that the Christians had been beaten up even though this was reported in the local media.

The situation in Jabalpur continues to be volatile and the Christians are fearful that this wave of anti-Christian violence against them may increase in the days to come.

Tribal Pastors attacked in Jhabua again

Tribal Pastors attacked and beaten up in a case of blatant state atrocity
By Vijayesh Lal

25th January 2006: In a gross violation of human-rights a group of local policemen barged into a Christian home where a prayer meeting had to be conducted in Chapri village of Jhabua in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and beat up two tribal pastors who were supposed to leading the prayer meeting.

On Wednesday morning at 10:30 am, as local Christians had gathered together for a time of prayer at Rai Singh's home, as many as nine policemen belonging to the state police barged into the Christian home a few minutes before the prayer meeting could begin.

In utter disregard of their responsibilities as keepers of law, these goons became breakers of law and badly beat up the two tribal pastors who had to lead the prayer meeting.

After beating the two pastors of the Philadelphia Church of Chapri, namely Rai Singh Amblia at whose house the meeting was going on and Hatehsingh Rawat mercilessly, the police put them into their vehicle and dragged them to the police station repeatedly threatening them of dire consequences if they coinued to gather together for prayer or for any other kind of 'Christian activity'.

Raisingh and Hatesingh were locked up in custody for more than four hours where they were not only beaten up more but their Christian faith was also mocked at. The pastors were assaulted on their stomach and hands and the policemen also struck blows on their neck. The wounds which the two pastors received as a result of the police beatings forced them to be taken to the local hospital the next day.

However, when reports last came in the two pastors were denied access to medical aid by the local hospital authorities who demanded that the pastors obtain written permission from the police to receive medical help.

Those involved in this unlawful act of atrocity against the minority community include Babu Bhabor, Pal, Jaisingh, Gadwan, Shamra, Mukesh, Shisodia and other policemen. The incident took place in the very presence of the Sub-Inspector, Kalidevi Police chowki, Mr. Samrath Devanji. The T.I. of the area was however absent when the incident took place.

The Christians in Chapri village are in a state of shock while Christians in Jhabua maintain that acts of state atrocities like this are shaking their confidence in the state machinery which they say is anyway conniving with anti-Christian elements to terrorize the Christian community in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Mrs. Indira Iyengar of the Madhya Pradesh Minority Commission expressed her concern over the incident. She said, "It is shocking in the manner in which the Christians in Jhabua are being targeted almost systematically by communal forces. It is becoming a regular affair and almost no protection is being offered by the government." She expressed her surprise at the incident as it happened just a day before the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh; Mr. Shivraj Chauhan was in Jhabua for Republic Day celebrations.

It is noteworthy that Mr. Arjun Singh, Central Human Resource development minister had called on the government to protect the Christian community in Jhabua from systematic attacks by Hindutva forces just a few days ago.

Children's Homes Face Opposition from Hindu Militants in Uttaranchal India

On Saturday, Jan. 14, approximately 40 Hindu militants opposed to a children's home and school being constructed in the village of Tikri in northeastern India's Uttaranchal state came to the construction site and threatened to kill the workers who were building the new facility. The workers fled for their lives.

Ashish Massey, the head of the North India Evangelistic Association (NIEA) who is funding the project, was also threatened with death by the militants. According to a local report, some of the local villagers allegedly complained to the activists that the Christians had come to their village to convert them.

In a separate incident in West Bengal, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority demolished a church building and orphanage on Monday, Jan. 16, despite ongoing legal proceedings. According to Indian Express, the development authority claimed that the buildings were impeding a planned road expansion. At the time of its destruction, the orphanage was home to 30 children and 20 women. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Source: Persecuted Church of India Yahoo Group

Christians Attacked, Houses Burned in Orissa, India

No relief provided to Christians, who remain without shelter, food or spare clothes.

NEW DELHI, January 25 (Compass) - A pastor and his cousin charged with attempted forced conversion in Matiapada village, Orissa state, were released on bail yesterday, while five Hindu villagers charged with assault and setting fire to the pastor's house are still in custody.

The trouble began on January 15, when Hindu villagers "abused and slapped Rabindra Mallick, the younger brother of Pastor Kulamani Mallick, without provocation as he returned home from a nearby market," said the Rev. Dr. Dandia Basi Hrudaya, secretary of the Orissa chapter of the All India Christian Council (AICC).

On the following morning (January 16), a group of about 15 villagers armed with sticks stormed Pastor Mallick's home and assaulted him and members of his family. The pastor and two other family members required hospital treatment for minor injuries.

When the family fled, the village Hindus set fire to the house. Seven adjacent houses also caught fire and were destroyed; six of the eight homes destroyed belonged to Christians.

There are only nine Christians in the village, which has a total population of 70 families.

Hrudaya said Hindus had repeatedly threatened the Christian minority before the assault last week. He said the villagers were influenced by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council), a Hindu extremist group active in the district.

Counter-accusations

Later that day, Kabit Mallick, a local woman, lodged a complaint against the pastor and two of his relatives, both recent converts, alleging that they had tried to force her to accept the Christian faith.

Hindu villagers also claimed the Christians had set their own houses on fire.

Even as the ashes cooled, members of the Bajrang Dal - the youth wing of the VHP - alleged that Christian missionaries were torturing Hindus in Orissa as a means of forcing them to convert to Christianity.

Both Christian and Hindu villagers lodged police complaints, with the Christians naming 14 attackers. Police then arrested five Hindus: Ramesh Mallick, Gandarbha Mallick, Bandhua Mallick, Suman Mallick and Baga Mallick.

The district court later charged the five with destruction of a property by fire and rejected their bail application.

Police also arrested Pastor Mallick and his cousin Gunanidhi Mallick in connection with the accusations of forced conversion. The local magistrate's court rejected a bail application for the Christians on January 18, but the district court granted bail for them on Monday (January 24).

Christians in Maliapada said Jagannath Pareda, officer-in-charge at the local police station, had declined to charge the attackers with destruction of property by fire. Pareda is allegedly a supporter of the VHP.

Both Pareda and the superintendent of police of Jajpur district were unavailable for comment at press time.

The Rev. Pran Ranjan Parichha, president of the Orissa AICC, wrote to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday (January 20), urging him to ensure compensation and rehabilitation for the villagers who had lost their homes. These villagers were still without shelter, food or spare clothes.

Parichha also asked for "a permanent solution" to repeated attacks against Christians in the state.

In another letter written to the district collector of Jaipur, Parichha sought police protection for the Christians of Matiapada "until normality is restored."

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Two held for attacking Pastor in Andhra

From our correspondent

Two activists of the the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisath (ABVP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been arrested in connection with the attack on Pastor Aaron in Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh on 12 January 2006. The police are on the lookout for the rest of the activists who joined in the brutal attack.

The victim, accompanied by some other Christian activists, was distributing pamphlets at important junctions of the town in connection with the ongoing Christian congregation at Polytechnic Grounds. Aaron was severely beaten up by ABVP and RSS activists and the police arrived on the scene and saved him, according to eyewitnesses. He was shifted to hospital later.

Aaron complained that about 100 ABVP and RSS activists had attacked him without any provocation. It is now learned that the attackers tried to take him to an isolated place with an intention to set him on fire. They also carried a can of petrol for the purpose. However the timely intervention by the police saved the situation.

The police moved into action following rallies held in the town on the following day by the Christian community protesting against the attack. The police also seized a still camera and a video camera containing all that happened during the attack. The attack was led by one Jaipal Reddy, an active RSS member.

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Pastor abducted and Shot in Manipur

Pastor abducted and shot at in Manipur town, bandh observed in protest

From our correspondent

Life in the border town of Moreh was paralysed on 10 January 2006 following a lightning bandh called by the Moreh Pastor Fellowship in the wake of the abduction of Moreh Hindi Baptist Church Pastor Mohan Lal and church secretary Kishan Yadav by unidentified persons. While the kidnapped men were released shortly before noon, Pastor Mohan Lal was shot on the left hand by his abductors and had to be hospitalised.

Pastor Mohan Lal (45) and Kishan Yadav (26) were kidnapped around 9 am on 10 January 2006 by two unidentified persons at Moreh Ward No 3. The armed men reportedly accosted them near JS Photo Studio and at gunpoint bundled them into an auto-rickshaw.

Pastor Mohan Lal, along with Kishan Yadav, was kidnapped by militants suspected to be members of the United Liberation Arm Front (ULAF) on the charges that they were informers to security personnel about the militant movements in Moreh town. They were taken into their custody and accused with the charges of informing the whereabouts of the militants.
In the wake of the abduction, the Moreh Pastor Fellowship called for a lightning bandh that lasted till 4 pm. A rally, participated by some 500 people, mostly Christians, was also taken out through Moreh town to protest against the incident.

In the meantime, the two kidnapped men were released by their abductors at around 11:30 am. While Kishan Yadav was unharmed, the abductors shot Pastor Mohan Lal on his left hand. The latter was given first aid at the Moreh community health centre upon his release and was later referred to Regional Medical Institute of Science in Imphal.

Owing to the bandh, nearly all shops and business establishments in the border town stayed shut till evening. The roads were deserted. No buses left the town for Imphal, while buses coming from Imphal had to wait at the Moreh small town gate till the end of the bandh.

Pastor Mohan Las has been pastoring a small Hindi speaking congregation at Moreh for last two years supported by Kuki Baptist Convention based in Imphal. He along with the church has been involved in evangelisation among Hindi-speaking communities and Nepalis of Moreh town.

Relating their experiences, Kishan Yadav said their abductors, who were altogether five in number, had accused them of frequenting the local Army camp and acting as informers. They were also told to leave Moreh.

He said the abductors had taken them to the Chavangphai area, where they were manhandled. However when he clarified that he had come to Moreh only two years back and was serving as staff at Hindi Baptist Church, he was allowed to go unharmed. The abductors spoke both in Manipuri and Hindi, Yadav said.

Moreh Pastor Fellowship chairman Rev Thongam issued a press release strongly condemning the kidnapping and the shooting of Pastor Mohan Lal. The release demanded a clarification on the reasons behind the incident and further appealed to all underground groups not to harass religious workers.

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Stop VHP reconversion drive, Minorities panel tells Centre

Express News Service

New Delhi, January 15 After failing to broker peace between the saffron brigade and tribal Christians in Dangs, Gujarat, the National Minorities Commission (NCM) has asked the Centre to intervene to check the "illegal and unconstitutional" reconversion of tribals reportedly being planned by VHP-led groups next month.

In a letter to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, NCM member V V Augustine has said that the proposed programme of the VHP, Bajrang Dal and the local Adivasi Kalyan Samiti "had led to simmering tensions which could flare up any time".

The NCM member had visited Dangs to assess the situation arising out of the proposed "re-conversion" - the Ghar vapsi samaroh to be organised at the Sabri Kumbh Mela in mid-february.

In its report on the situation in the district, the NCW says that "tribal Christians are feeling insecure and fearing attacks as the day approaches". Dangs' 1.8 lakh population is spread over 113 villages and there is a tussle between missionaries and Hindu groups to bring the tribals into their folds.

The NCM report says the Hindu organisations "made no bones about their plans to reconvert the tribal christians and bring them back to the Hindu fold" when the minorities panel met their leaders.

Augustine alleged that "the Hindu groups are violating the Constitution and also the anti-conversion law of Gujarat by holding such a programme."

The NCM has conveyed its apprehensions of a likely flare up in the communal situation in Dangs to Chief Minister Narendra Modi too.

The report says the VHP had distributed pamphlets in which the Adivasis have been advised to hoist an orange flag on their houses during the Kumbh. "This, the Christians fear, was meant to make identification of the Christian houses easier and make them vulnerable," the report says.

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136 Christian tribals reconverted to Hinduism in Orissa

Rourkela, Orissa: Nearly 136 tribals who were converted to Christians were reconverted to Hinduism at a function organised by the local unit of the Viswha Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajarang Dal.

The reconversion ceremony was held at a remote village in Tumbei under Gurundia police station, about 40 kms from here.

Those reconverted to Hinduism included 61 male and 75 female from as many as 25 tribal families belonging to Kodaligochha, Pankadihi and Tumbei villages.

Rourkela VHP unit Prsident Mitrabhanu Panda and several other Bajarang Dal and VHP leaders were present at the reconversion ceremony.

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Pastor assaulted in Andhra Pradesh

From our correspondent

Mild tension prevailed for a brief period in the town of Nizamabad of Andhra Pradesh following alleged assault on pastor Aaron of Indian Pentecostal Church by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisath (ABVP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists at RTC bus stand area on 12 January 2006.

The victim, accompanied by some other Christian activists, was distributing pamphlets at important junctions of the town in connection with the ongoing Christian congregation at Polytechnic Grounds.

Aaron was severely beaten up by ABVP and RSS activists and the police arrived on the scene and saved him, according to eyewitnesses. He was shifted to hospital later. Aaron complained that about 100 ABVP and RSS activists had attacked him without any provocation.

According to In-charge Circle Inspector K Pochaiah, a case had been booked under Sections 153A, 324, 506, 147 and 149 of IPC. The accused persons were absconding and manhunt was launched to arrest them, he said.

Meanwhile, The Council condemned the attack on the pastor and large numbers of Christians staged a rasta roko in protest against the attack on the pastor at the Railway Kaman affecting the vehicular traffic for about 45 minutes. The Council leader David said in a democratic and secular country everyone had the right to preach and propagate ones religion.

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Rise in attacks on Christians in Madhya Pradesh

Agencies
Bhopal, January 12, 2006

ALLEGING 45 per cent rise in crimes against missionaries during the last two years of Bharatiya Janata Party rule in Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Christian Association today claimed that fake cases were being registered against Christians, accusing them of being involved in religious conversion.

Conveniently, the attacks are targeted conventionally at the poor, rural Christians, who usually have no way to protect themselves, association secretary Anil Martin said in a letter to State Minorities Commission, while submitting a report of a survey conducted among 4105 Christians in Khargone, Dhar, Dewas, Indore, Jhabua and Ratlam districts.

The State Government has been sheltering communal elements and organisations to frame fake charges against Christians, the survey conducted by the Association and National Forum for Reconciliation, Religious Liberty and Social Justice alleged.

Claiming 45 per cent rise in crime against Christians, the report accused the administration and police of acting at the behest of the government and communal organisations and of being reluctant to file FIRs or registering complaints.

The attacks had taken place on tribal Christians in rural areas where their population was above the State's average and literacy levels were low, it said claiming that cottage churches in Chhindwara and other tribal belts were almost on the verge of closure.

Lone pastors, who are preaching are hammered or arrested on any pretext, usually on charges of converting or conversions, Martin said, seeking the commission's intervention in restoring faith of Christians on the State Government by preventing such attacks.

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Christians Targeted in Dangs, Gujarat

By Sankar Ray from Kolkata

After the Muslims, now is the turn for the Christians below-the-poverty-line in India. Some 8000 "wretched-of-the earth" - Dangs - are targets of three rightwing Hindu militants in western India: Viswa Hindu Parishad ( World Hindu Council - VHP ). Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM - Hindu reawakening platform) and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (mission-home for welfare of forest -dwellers - VKA).

Very much at home in triggering communal riots, these storm-troopers, indoctrinated by the Hindu fascists, have planned a proselytization programme between 11-13 February this year among Dangs, one of the most backward aborigines (known as adivasis in India) in the state of Gujarat in India. The religious conversion programme has been okayed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS,), also coined by the Indian media as Sangh which is the guiding centre of right wing Hindu nationalists.

The proselytization plan coincides with a Hindu religious festival, Shabri Kumbh, based on a myth. Rama, the hero in the Sanskrit epic, Ramayana , and his brother Lakshmana who stayed in Chamak hill in the Dang district, Rama met one of his devotees, Shabari Mata, there. Hence the Shabri Kumbh or holy dip.

However, the religious sanction to the Shabri Kumbh is questioned by orthodox and non-militant Hindu religious monks. A citizen's inquiry report, a summary of two fact-finding teams in Dang and adjoining districts, snaps fingers at this issue. Saying, "at best described as a pseudo- Kumbh, for which there is no religious sanction". Kumbh Mela or festival takes place by turns in four fixed locations of India, Nasik, Hardwar, Allahabad and Ujjain. The propaganda materials in CDs, prepared by the RSS, has nothing in common with the Kumbh mela (festival) traditions, built over many centuries, argues the report. The ultra-rightist Hindu propaganda portrays Christianity as a dangerous foreign faith, and calls for its destruction in the same way as Ram had killed the demon Ravana. The inflammatory slogan is Hindu Jago, Christi Bhagao (Arise, Oh Hindus and drive Christians out).

There is a forest habitation, almost wholly of Dangs. Devout and innocent Hindus believe that Rama was a real hero some 500,000 Hindu pilgrims are expected to attend the festival. The RSS-affiliates have "money power" to convert the Dangs, according to fact-finding teams that visited the region between 10 and 21 December last.

The VHP, HJM and VKA have set up a website http://www.shabarikumbh.org/invitation/ that wages a provocative tirade against the Christian missionaries. For a long time, India, it states, "has been a special target of the Christian Church worldwide. To the Church, the Hindus represent the greatest stumbling block in their grand design to establish Christs kingdom on earth. The poor, illiterate, mild Vanvasi Hindu is an obvious target in this nefarious scheme. For years, under the garb of social service, the Church has been spreading its tentacles in far-flung, tribal regions of our country. These converted vanavasis become alienated from their customs and traditions. They get uprooted from their cultural milieu."

The Christian missionaries are accused of having fanned up, separatism and terrorism in north-east India by the Shabari Kumbhsponsors. "There are several areas in our country which have become hotbeds of Christian missionary activity", the Hindu militant propaganda states forcefully. The Dangs district is a distorted form of Dandakaranya, the Ramayana heroes stayed during their 14-year banishment. "The immortal devotee of Sri Rama met her Lord and lovingly offered him sweet berries which she had tasted herself", the organizers claim. There is indeed a temple, named after the mother Shabari.

The two teams presented a brief summary of their findings on 3 January. The first committee included Irfan Engineer, director Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai, Suresh Khairnar, convener Dharma Nirpeksh Nagrik Manch (secular citizen’s platform), Nagpur,Ram Puniyani, secretary, All India Secular Forum and Digant Oza, wellknown journalist social activist of Ahmedabad.

The second team, mostly representing NGOs, comprised Harsh Mander, formerly a top bureaucrat of Gujarat and now a senior functionary of an NGO, Anhad, Uttambhai Parmar and Rohit Prajapati, Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties and Prasad Chacko of ActionAid . They went around places like Ahva, Subir, Unai, Saputara and met local people and activists. They also spoke to local government officials and Sangh leaders .

RSS constituents focus on tribal belts and states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Orissa and Gujarat. "The efforts of the Sangh organisations is to see that adivasis lose their identity, culture and traditions of worshiping nature without being part of any mainstream religion, by asserting that they are Hindus", the fact-finding committees states.

In Gujarat, which witnessed a two-month long communal riot against Muslims in February and March 2002 and killing of over 2500 people by RSS affiliates such as the VHP, VKA and Bajrang Dal, moral and administrative backing is an added advantage for the proselytizers as the state is ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), political arm of RSS. The chief minister of Gujarat is Narendra Mody whom Indian National Congress and other secular and Leftist parties described as the main backer of communal killings.

The fact-finding document describes the plight of Dangs. "With very small and uneconomic holdings, the majority of the cultivators barely manage to survive for few months of the year on the crops harvested. The agricultural laborers find some employment only during the agricultural season. The political economy of Dangs presents a typical case of utter neglect, dispossession and non-development. The Gujarat state administration in close collaboration with the RSS outfits, "is engaged in a systematic campaign to divide the Dangi adivasis on religious communal lines and pit them against each other", and the survey report added.

The proselytisation aims at "suppression of the basic religious rights of the adivasis practicing Christianity and thereby also curbing the rights of the Christian missionaries to carry on their activities", the two teams feel. The conversion is subtly aimed at diversion of what is perceived as a growing consciousness of the Dangi adivasis about their traditional rights and self-rule onto communal and anti-tribal and anti-people issues.

The Hindu militants, owing allegiance to the RSS, began anti- Christian propaganda among Dangs in 1995. The campaign got a fillip in 1997, especially after the arrival of Swami Aseemanand, a VHP functionary from West Bengal. A "vicious anti-Christian propaganda and started projecting the work of Christian missions as a threat to both Hinduism and the national security. He has been visiting village after village, doing propaganda against Christian missionaries and Islamic Jehadis. He has also been propagating so-called re-conversion, ghar-vapasi (or homecoming) to Hinduism amongst the adivasis."

The inquiry report wages a polemical battle against the RSS tentacles which the two communist parties - CP of India and CP of India (Marxist) - brands as replica of "Nazi storm-troopers of the 1930s. "The religion of the Dangi adivasis in animistic, with varied gods and goddesses like animals, plants, trees and hills, the forces of nature like rain, mountain, ghosts and spirits, including tigers, cows, serpents, the moon, and gods of corn, the rains, the wind, the hills and forests."

Christian missionaries have been working there for over a century. The RSS constituents launched violent attacks against them during the regime of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in New Delhi between 1998 and 2004. "Throughout the year 1998, there were 38 recorded cases of anti Christian violence, especially attacks on places of worship. A number of leaflets were published and the Gujarati newspapers added fuel to the fire, supporting the propaganda against the tiny Christian population of Gujarat," the report noted.

The conversion programme synchronizes with the new turn in the BJP. It has serious rift over the issue of Hindu militancy, imposed by the RSS. The new president Rajnath Singh is an adherent of the new line in contrast to his predecessor L K Advani, former Union home minister, who tried in vain to reorient the Hindu nationalist party in tune with the traditional secularism.

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Police in Indian Village Ban Church, Allow Hindu Temple

Dispute in Orissa state leads to extremist assault on three Christian women and one man.

NEW DELHI, January 4 (Compass) - Police decided yesterday to allow a make-shift Hindu temple in Umarkote village but banned Christians from worshiping at a nearby house church following a conflict that led to Hindu extremists attacking four people.

The attackers had set up their temple near the house in October last year and then complained to police that the Christian worship disturbed their own rituals. On Thursday (December 29) they lodged an official complaint charging the Christians with forced conversions.

When three Christian women arrived at the house to attend a prayer meeting on Friday morning (December 30), the extremists slapped them and pulled their hair, warning them not to attend any more services. They also slapped church member Samraj Rai, who had come to warn the women, and damaged his motorbike.

Fearing further violence, the victims did not go home but stayed with friends that night.

A delegation of church members went to the Umarkote police station on Saturday (December 31) to lodge a written complaint. The police accepted the document but would not register an official complaint.

Inspector Narayan Chand Barik told Compass that he had "received a complaint from the villagers saying that people in the house church were disturbing the temple. But I have not received a complaint from the Christians."

Barik also said he had discovered that some of the church members had not informed district authorities before they converted to Christianity. Prior notification of conversion is required under the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act of 1967 and the Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules appended to the Act in 1989.

"Why is there a church if there are no Christians?" Barik said. "And if there are Christians, why haven’t they fulfilled the requirements of the law?"

When asked if the construction of the Hindu temple on public land was legal, he answered, "This is their traditional way of worshipping their god."

Temple Under a Tree

Roots of the dispute go back to October 2005, when Umarkote villager Govind Nath set up a photo of a Hindu god under a tree about 50 meters from the house church, mission supervisor Chaitanya Nayak told Compass. Neighbors say Nath is a member of the Hindu extremist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Two weeks later, Nath put a statue under the tree. A little later he built a small cement structure there and declared it to be a temple.

"Every Sunday morning after that, the temple started using loudspeakers for religious programs which disturbed the church," Nayak said. "But we did not object to it, since we felt they also had a right to worship."

On Thursday (December 29), Nath lodged a complaint with police, alleging that the church was disturbing temple worship and that its members were forcibly converting local residents.

Later that day, police summoned home-owner Tirinath Nag and Pastor Jacob Khare and interrogated them for more than five hours at the police station.

Unaware of these developments, the three Christian women went to Nag's house the next day for prayer and fasting and were attacked.

As a result of a meeting at the police station yesterday (January 3), police said they would allow the Hindu temple built on public land to continue to function. The Christians, however, were banned from holding services in Nag's house. Inspector Barik said the Christians could meet at the home only for prayer - not for worship, preaching, or any other church-related activity.

At the meeting, he also asked both parties not to insult each other's religious sentiments and not to use loudspeakers without prior permission from the other party.

Regarding the extremists' charge that the Christians did not register their conversions, the Rev. Dr. D.B. Hrudaya said that some believers avoid public declarations of conversion because of lengthy and complicated procedures required by the state.

Under current laws, would-be converts must give a declaration of intent to a Magistrate. The police then check for any objections from family, friends or neighbors before the conversion is officially registered.

"Those who do get baptized and send a declaration to the district authorities are harassed by Hindu fundamentalists, who somehow get the information," said Hrudaya, who represents a local chapter of the All India Christian Council. "It is a difficult situation for new converts."

The state government ordered more stringent enforcement of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act in July 2005, following similar religious disputes. (See Compass Direct, "Hindu fundamentalists allege 'Forced Conversion,'" July 28, 2005.)

Indian Catholics Attacked on Way to Christmas Mass

Extremists beat four travelers, including priest, leaving them unconscious.

NEW DELHI, December 30 (Compass) - Hindu extremists launched two attacks on Catholics in the northern state of Rajasthan during the week before Christmas, in one case beating four people until they were unconscious.

On Saturday (December 24), nine members of the Hindu extremist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) attacked four Catholics, including a priest, in Jambuda, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the district capital of Banswara. Jaisingh Baria, Sunil Minama, and two people identified only as Father Thomas and Santosh were traveling by jeep to attend a Christmas mass in a nearby village.

The attackers had parked their motorbikes just after a curve in the road in Tandi Moti village, waiting for the four to arrive, a parish priest told Compass. After forcing the jeep to stop, the attackers hit Fr. Thomas with an iron rod.

"Then they pulled the other three off the jeep and beat them," said the priest, who identified himself only as Father Alexander. "They also made them strip down to their underwear."

The victims lay unconscious on the road for four hours until a local Christian discovered them at 9:30 p.m.

Fr. Alexander had asked for police protection for the four after villagers warned Fr. Thomas not to attend the Christmas celebration that night.

"Now I'm wondering how the attackers learned of their travel plans," Fr. Alexander said.

RSS members had spread a rumor that the Catholics were carrying two children with them in the jeep in order to sacrifice them as part of their Christmas worship. As this rumor spread, people living in nearby villages came out to join in the beating.

Attackers also broke Fr. Thomas' mobile phone and stole his wallet containing 5,000 rupees ($115), along with a small television and VCD player that were in the jeep.

Fr. Thomas and the other victims have since identified five of the attackers - Kamlesh Tambolia, Rakesh Damor, Bharat Nutt, Harlala Roth and Galjee Khatara - all allegedly members of the RSS.

Inspector Prithvi Singh said he had asked Fr. Thomas to stop by the police station on his way to the mass, but the priest had not done so.

"Why did he go straight to Pattia-Parvali without coming to the police post as I had asked them to?" Singh said.

He added that he had filed charges against the attackers and arrested four of them, though they were released on bail.

In a separate incident on December 23, three men assaulted two nuns, Sister Tessia and Sister Kletty, who were waiting at a bus stop in Ambapara sub-district at around 9 p.m.

"The men came on a motorbike and slapped and verbally abused them," a priest from the Udaipur diocese told Compass. "They also snatched the crosses they were wearing around their necks."

One of the attackers was identified as Motilal Patel, already named in several violent attacks on Christians. Patel had earlier used a sharp weapon to attack three Catholic youths waiting at a bus stand in Banswara on October 21.

The Banswara city police registered a complaint against Patel and arrested him on October 22, but he applied for bail and was released immediately.

Police have yet to arrest Patel in connection with the attack on the two nuns.

Police believe Patel was also involved in the theft of a statue of the Virgin Mary from St. Andrew's Church in Ambapara on December 22.

Inspector Devi Singh told Compass he had registered two separate complaints against Patel, who had gone into hiding - "but we will surely arrest him very soon."