16 accused Christians released in Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

Reported by Vijayesh Lal

31st May 2006 is a date that Christians in Jhabua district will remember for long. For this day, after a period of misery that lasted around two years and six months the 14 Christian prisoners who were held in prison for alleged murder charges and the two accused who had been granted bail were found innocent and were released by the Alirajpur court.

The 16 Christians were put in prison after the infamous Jhabua violence of January 2004 against Christians which left many homeless, many Churches and Christian homes burnt, Christian women raped and one RSS sympathizer dead. Two of them later got bail.

During this period of two years four months and fifteen days many attempts to bail the 14 Christians proved futile as the case was overtly politicized and considered sensitive. However all that is a thing of the past now.

We wish to thank all who stood by these brothers and their families through prayers, moral support and occasional visits.

It is also a victory of the judicial system in India, showing that while the executive and the administration might sometimes fail to do its duty and choose to side along with its political masters, yet there is hope for justice to prevail.

Christian women raped by Hindutva fanatics, Christians beaten up in Madhya Pradesh

Reported by Vijayesh Lal

30th May 2006: New Delhi:

Activists belonging to the Hindutva brigade attacked a group of Christians and gang raped 2 Christian women in the Nadia village, Bhagwanpura block of the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh on the 28th May 2006. The attack took place around 10:00 pm in the night, while the Christians were in their homes.

The attackers beat the Christians and took hostage two women Baishi Pokharia and Rekha Gyarsiya and dragged them to the nearby deserted area. There they stripped the women by force after which they gang raped them. The names of the alleged rapists as described by the women are: Lulla, Nandla, Kalu, Rewal Singh, and Sakaram. All are from the same village i.e. Nadia.

When the husbands of the women and other Christians tried to protect them from being raped, they too were beaten up with weapons and three men namely Kashiram, Pokharia (husband of Baishi Pokharia), and Ghundia have sustained injuries.

The attack as described by Pastor Kailash Davar of Khargone took place without provocation. The Christians were quietly in their homes and not even involved in worship or prayer during the time of the attack. Pastor Davar further revealed that this is a regular pattern for Christians in the area. Last year several Christians had to pay penalty for 'being Christians' in the same village. The penalties ranged from 2500 (60 USD) to 7000 (170 USD) Indian Rupees depending upon the status of the family.

The attackers further illegally detained by force the injured and the two women so that they would not be able to file a report.

On the 29th morning the local BJP leaders marched to the Collector's office to submit a memorandum to him where they alleged that mass conversions are being carried out in the area by missionaries coming from the nearby state of Maharashtra.

Although the memorandum did not name any missionaries who were involved in the alleged forced and fraudulent conversions, however, as proof of the conversions the memorandum did contain the names of the injured Christians and the Christian women who had been raped the previous night.

"All this was to cover up the violence and rape committed by their own men against the Christian community." Pastor Davar adds.

The Christians, when they were finally released, went to the Bhagwanpura Police station to report the matter, only to face the ire of the Police Inspector Mr. Thakur.

As this is being written they were still in the police station. It was only after several phone calls were made by the author and the Member of the State Minority Commission Mrs. Indira Iyengar to the police station and to the Collector that Mr. Thakur agreed to register the case and file a First Information Report. Last heard the women were about to be taken for medical examination.

Also on the 28th afternoon in village Suklia Kunda, near Khargone, Kashi Ram a local Christian was chased and driven out of his home by local villagers, again for the crime of being a Christian. He too had come to the Bhagwanpura police station and has lodged a complaint against this atrocity. More details are awaited.

BJP MP reconverts tribals in Jharkhand

BJP MP reconverts tribals, Cardinal Toppo irked

IANS

Ranchi, May 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Mr Dileep Singh Judeo has reconverted 15 Christian tribals to their indigenous faith in Jharkhand, but the move has irked Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, the former archbishop of Ranchi.

Mr Judeo reconverted the tribals to their original religion known as Sarna in a ceremony organised on the outskirts of state capital on Thursday. The reconversion took place under the banner of the Sarna Sansthan Rakshak Sammittee (SSRS) and Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra (VKK) at Mahilong village, about 40 km from here.

When Mr Judeo was going to attend the re-conversion programme, other Christians blocked the road and protested the move. The ceremony was conducted by tribal priests and Mr Judeo washed the feet of the reconverted. Addressing the gathering, Mr Judeo said, "If reconversion had taken place 500 years ago then countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would not have been formed." Mr Judeo also criticised the Pope for his reported statement on anti-conversion bills passed in some states.

"The Pope's remark is an indication of the intolerance of the community towards other religions," said Mr Judeo. He alleged: "European countries and the US are pumping money into India for conversion and it should be checked." Launching a scathing attack on Cardinal Toppo, SSRS president, Mr Ajay Tirkey said, "Toppo claims to be a tribal. Does he celebrate tribal festivals? His only motive is to convert tribals."

Cardinal Toppo, who had supported the Pope's statement on anti-conversion, on the other hand is unhappy with the reconversion. "The reconversion is against the spirit of Christianity," he said. He is the former archbishop of Ranchi and was appointed cardinal by the Pope in 2004.

Cardinal Toppo, who does not hesitate to remark on political issues, has opposed a Jharkhand plan to ban conversions.

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Tamil Nadu: Anti-conversion law to be scrapped shortly

The new government led by the democrats of the DMK, has announced it intends "to completely annul, not amend, the draconian law against forced conversions". Meanwhile, redistribution of fertile land favouring the poorest peasants has started.

Chennai (AsiaNews/CBCI) - The new government of Tamil Nadu, led by the democrats of the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) announced yesterday, 24 May, that the "draconian" law against forced conversions will "be annulled shortly". This law had been approved and introduced by the former government led by the ex prime minister Jayalalithaa, but it was amended by an ordinance following strong protests by Christian and Muslim communities.

Human rights campaigners and religious leaders have said several times over that "the amendment was completely ignored by the police and nationalist activists, who continued to act against us as if nothing had changed."

The government's Vision Document presented to the Assembly by the new governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, stated in clear terms that it intended to "completely annul the law, given that the amendments proved useless, and to undo many of the controversial policies of the earlier regime."

The document also said: "The process of redistribution of fertile land has started and soon we will start to reclaim pieces of government land to rent them to peasants." Further, added the text, "new legislation is ready that will guarantee reserved places for religious minorities in the education field and in the labour market."

Defence of minority rights and respect for the secularism of India were the battle cries of the DMK during the electoral campaign. The Archbishop of Madurai and president of the Tamil Nadu bishops' conference, Mgr Peter Fernando, had called on Catholic believers to "back only secular political forces in the upcoming general election to the State Parliament."

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Christians In Madhya Pradesh Appeal For Security, Acknowledge Need For Unity

May 24, 2006

JABALPUR, India (UCAN) -- Church leaders in a central Indian state say Christians need greater unity among themselves to safeguard their community from violence.

Unless various denominations shed their differences and come together, the community will not be able to resist attacks against it, according to Catholic Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur, a diocese in Madhya Pradesh state.

The prelate spoke with UCA News several days after he led a delegation to meet Governor Balram Jhakhar and seek protection for Christians and their institutions. The Madhya Pradesh governor was visiting Jabalpur, site of the state's High Court, 815 kilometers southeast of New Delhi.

During the May 6 meeting, the Christian delegates presented the governor a memorandum asking for withdrawal of what they say are false charges against members of their community.

The memorandum also demanded "a free and fair probe" into cases of alleged religious conversion registered against Christians. The delegation called for the probe to be conducted either by the Central Bureau of Investigation, a federal agency, or by a Supreme Court judge.

Bishop Almeida noted that the state has experienced a spurt of violent attacks on Christians and Christian institutions, especially since the beginning of this year. Jabalpur district alone has had 13 incidents of anti-Christian violence this year.

The bishop stressed the need for greater ecumenical unity but acknowledged that "disciplining different (denominations) is a big challenge."

Church of North India (CNI) Bishop Prem Chand Singh of Jabalpur, another member of the delegation, also stressed interdenominational dialogue to address the current crises facing the Church.

Accusing the police of being biased, the Protestant prelate alleged that police register false cases of conversion against Christians when they go to file complaints against their attackers. "There should be more unity among different denominations to address such issues jointly," he added.

Madhya Pradesh is one of five Indian states in which religious conversion is regulated by law, with moves underway in two more states to do the same. Church leaders here say the government increasingly uses the police to muzzle Christians, who form less than 1 percent of the 60 million population.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian people's party) now rules Madhya Pradesh. Many people consider it the political arm of groups trying to turn India from a secular country into a Hindu nation.

The Indian Constitution allows people to profess, practice and propagate the religion of their choice, but Hindu extremists depict Christianity and Islam as imported religions that do not respect Indian culture and tradition. They strongly oppose religious conversion, claiming it would endanger the country's unity because Christians owe their allegiance to an outside authority.

Bishop Almeida said the delegation was happy with its meeting with the governor. He quoted the governor as saying, "Don't worry bishop, everything will be done, and go in peace."

Reverend Cyril Cornelius, a Methodist delegate, told UCA News the governor immediately instructed a senior police official present to probe the charges and report back. He said the governor was furious about the way the police handled the situation and directed officials not to register any cases of conversion against Christians without proper investigation.

Cornelius said he suspects the government orchestrated these attacks as a prelude toward making the existing anti-conversion law more stringent. A person charged under the existing law is able to arrange bail from the police station, but Cornelius predicted the government would try to amend the law so that a person charged with conversion would be jailed immediately.

Later, the Christian leaders formed a coordination committee with Bishop Almeida as president to foster more cooperation among various denominations.

Click here for source

Chhattisgarh govt. proposes stringent punishment for conversion

RAIPUR, MAY 24 (PTI)

The BJP government in Chhattisgarh is considering to make anti-conversion law more stringent with provisions for 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh for any one involved in illegal conversion.

"There are certain shortcomings in the existing Chhattisgarh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam 1968 and we wanted to change that," Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam told PTI here today.

"We wanted to change that and yesterday only I had a discussion with the Law Secretary on the issue," he said.

The BJP government is determined to stop any conversion in the state, which are taking place either by force or by allurement, he said.

Meanwhile, speaking about the draft proposal on the issue, official sources told PTI that amendment was being considered to check any conversion by force, allurement or by any fraudulent means.

"There is provision of minimum imprisonment of seven years which may be extended upto ten years and also with a fine of Rs one lakh, which may be extended upto Rs 10 lakh, if any one is found guilty under the proposed amendment," the sources said.

"The draft is under consideration with the Home Department and even it was taken once to the cabinet for discussion," the sources said.

PTI news

Anti-conversion law may be amended in Madhya Pradesh

Anti-conversion law may be amended in Madhya Pradesh: Chouhan

Bhopal: Warning of stern action against religious conversions through force or allurement, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said amendment to existing law to check conversion may be considered, if needed.

"A law to check forced religious conversion already exists in the state with adequate provisions, but if required amendments could be considered to make it more effective", Chouhan told PTI here.

Refuting charges of discrimination against any particular community and implementation of "Hindutva agenda" by the BJP government, the Chief Minister said people belonging to all religions and castes are being respected and given complete independence to follow their faiths.

Affirming BJP's commitment to safeguard the interests of all communities and castes and maintain harmony in society, Chouhan said, "at the same time, we do not believe in appeasement of any particular community".

"If we receive any complaint of religious conversion through force, pressure or allurement, strong action will be taken against those indulging in such activities", he said.

Regarding the Centre's proposed move on OBC quota in elite educational institutions, Chouhan said the issue is under close scrutiny of BJP's central leadership.

Asking the UPA government at the Centre to deal with the matter in such a way that social harmony remians intact without giving scope for divisive tendencies, he said the state government is making all efforts to tackle the situation arising out of stir by some junior doctors.

PTI News

Hindu Group Burns Pope's Effigy In Protest Against Comments On Indian Laws

May 23, 2006

NEW DELHI (UCAN) -- A right-wing Hindu group has burned effigies of Pope Benedict XVI in central India, as Hindu leaders nationwide criticized the pontiff for his remarks about Indian laws and religious freedom.

On May 20, members of Dharma Sena (religious army) set fire to the pope's effigy in the district headquarters of Balaghat, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Narasinghpur and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people's party) rules the state.

Similar protests had been planned in Jharkhand, a BJP-ruled state in eastern India, but the plan was abandoned without any reason given. However, some Hindu leaders there criticized the pope for his comments.

On May 18, the pope expressed concern about attempts to legally restrict the right to religious freedom when he welcomed Ambassador Amitava Tripathi, India's new representative to the Holy See. Some television channels and newspapers in India later characterized the pope's speech as a "tirade."

Some Hindu groups reacted sharply to the papal speech as inappropriate criticism of laws restricting religious conversion that exist in five Indian states including Madhya Pradesh. The Jharkhand government also plans to introduce such a law.

Uma Bharati former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, told media the pope's statement was a direct intervention in the internal affairs of India. According to her, the pope is trying to exert pressure on the Indian government to save Christians accused of conversion charges. She wants the federal government to take the pope's speech seriously.

Dharam Sena leader Sudhir Agrawal, who organized the effigy burning in Jabalpur, 815 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, said the pope's words proved that the Church engages in conversion in India. He told UCA News the Church lures poor Hindus through social services. This is why some state governments introduced laws to restrict conversion activities, he added.

Church leaders in India have defended the pope's comments.

Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi told UCA News May 22 the pope did not intend to interfere in India's internal matters. Cardinal Toppo, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, is based in the Jharkhand capital of Ranchi, some 760 kilometers east of Jabalpur.

The cardinal charged that the Hindu groups protested without reading the pope's speech. "There is nothing wrong in it. I have the original text of his speech," he said.

The Indian Church leader quoted the sentence at the center of the controversy: "The disturbing signs of religious intolerance which have troubled some regions of the nation, including the reprehensible attempt to legislate clearly discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental right of religious freedom, must be firmly rejected as not only unconstitutional, but also as contrary to the highest ideals of India's founding fathers, who believed in a nation of peaceful coexistence and mutual tolerance between different religions and ethnic groups."

According to Cardinal Toppo, the pope "wishes good for India" and wants to have a good relationship with India, "and nothing else."

The pope's speech also "contained praise" for India and its democratic system, the cardinal continued, but the Hindu groups "could not see anything positive in the speech and interpreted it negatively."

Meanwhile, Jesuit Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal urged Christians to remain calm at the Hindu group's protests. "I am not surprised at (the Hindu groups') behavior," Archbishop Topno told UCA News.

Bhopal, some 310 kilometers west of Jabalpur, is the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Archbishop Topno heads the regional bishops' group for the state.

Describing the Hindu protests as "a display of hatred," Archbishop Topno has asked people to exercise restraint and ignore the protests. The Church "does not believe in tit-for-tat behavior," he said.

Archbishop Topno asserted that the protests would not affect the Church's work in the country. "We will continue to work in the area in accordance with the constitutional right we are given," he added.

Regarding the effigy burning, Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur told UCA News that Christians can "only pray for the good conscience of those who are indulging in such activities."

Enos Ekka, the lone Christian minister in Jharkhand, condemned the BJP leaders' negative stand. "(The pope) is the head of the Church and he has the duty to think for Christians in the world. I don't find anything wrong in his speech," he told UCA News May 22.

Narotam Das, a Hindu priest in Ranchi, agreed that the "pope has done nothing wrong." According to him, the pope only expressed his concern for Catholics since he is their religious leader. "As a Hindu priest, I would express my concern if Hindus face discrimination in some countries," he told UCA News the same day.

On the contrary, a Hindu ascetic in Madhya Pradesh, Acharya Indrabhan, described the pope's statement as "a real threat to national integrity." He said the pope's speech infringed upon India's internal matters.

In the view of BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar, the pope's remarks were not relevant to India, which he said India has more freedom than many countries. "The state laws are not against conversion by conviction. But if people convert en masse, motives have to be there," he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, a daily based in New Delhi.

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Rajasthan religion bill rejected

Rajasthan religion bill rejected

The state governor of India's western state of Rajasthan has refused to sign a contentious religious freedom bill.

Pratibha Patil's refusal comes amid widespread criticism of the bill, which would ban people from being converted to religions against their will.

The state assembly passed the bill, which would see offenders fined or imprisoned, last month.

Members of Rajasthan's BJP-led government say the move by the governor is unconstitutional.

Critics of the bill say it could curb religious freedom.

Protect rights

Rajasthan's law minister Ghanshyam Tiwari said "it was the constitutional obligation of the governor to sign the bill that was passed by the legislative assembly".

It is believed Ms Patil did not sign the bill because of complaints by religious minorities, the BBC's Narayan Bareth says.

Human rights agencies and minority groups are opposed to the bill, saying it has been brought in to appease radical Hindu groups.

Critics called on Ms Patil to protect the rights of religious minorities such as Christians, Muslims and lower-caste Hindus.

However, the BJP-led government says the bill has been brought in to stop religious conversion by means of allurement, greed or pressure.

Under the proposed law, any person caught trying to convert people could face between two and five years in jail and a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$1,100).

'Insult to democracy'

'We are happy that the governor took a bold step. There is no need for such a law in Rajasthan as there are no conversion activities taking place here", Rajasthan Christian Fellowship's Father Coelho said.

Jamat-e Islami Rajasthan's chief Salim Engineer also said the law was designed to harass religious minorities.

Some Hindu groups, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) have criticised Ms Patil's decision, with its state chief Jugal Kishore saying sending back the bill unsigned was an insult to democracy.

The bill was introduced to into the state assembly after Hindu groups began opposing a Christian Mission - Emmanuel Mission - in Kota.

Christians make up 0.11% of Rajasthan's population.

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Govt mulls bill to check conversions

HT Correspondent
Jabalpur, May 17, 2006

CHIEF MINISTER Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said his government would think over bringing in a bill to check conversions. His statement assumes significance in the light of the incidents of attacks on Christian assemblies and police cases forcibly registered by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists against Christian priests alleging conversion attempts.

In Jabalpur, more than a dozen such incidents have occurred in the last two months. In one of the incidents, the police booked a 75-year-old woman on the charge of propagating Christianity through pamphlet distribution.

The Chief Minister was in the town to visit the residence of Minister of State for Fisheries Moti Kashyap, whose mother recently died.

Talking briefly to reporters at Kashyap's residence Chouhan ruled out the possibility of an early Cabinet expansion. “As of now there is no plan to expand the Cabinet”, he remarked.

About the BJP candidate for the Vidisha parliamentary by-elections, he said the concerned committee of the party would decide the name.

On health service hit by the medical students' protest against reservation quota, the Chief Minister said he had directed Health Minister Ajay Vishnoi to ensure that the patients get adequate medical attention. He said that the unrest has been caused following the Centre's action.

www.hindustantimes.com

Church Attacked, Pastor Arrested in Madhya Pradesh, India

Church Attacked, Pastor Arrested in Madhya Pradesh, India
At least 15 similar incidents have occurred so far this year, say local Christians.

NEW DELHI, May 15 (Compass Direct) - Hindu extremists yesterday vandalized an independent church in Gauri Nadi village, about 12 kilometers (seven miles) from Jabalpur city in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh. The mob beat a church member and lodged a police complaint against a pastor for "forcibly converting" Hindus.

About 50 members of the Dharam Jagran Sena (Army for Religious Revival) threw stones at the Anant Jeevan Marg church after the Sunday worship was over, a local Christian leader told Compass, requesting anonymity. After throwing stones, the mob entered the church and vandalized furniture and equipment - all the while shouting anti-Christian slogans and accusing the church of illegal conversions.

The attackers beat Dinanath Tiwari, 35, a new believer whose wife was recently healed of cancer after Christians prayed for her; the mob said Tiwari should not have converted to Christianity. Tiwari received injuries on his face, hands and knee. He was taken to a government hospital for first aid and a full medical examination; the doctor’s report had not yet been released at press time.

The mob also roughed up Pastor Munnu Kujur, who repeatedly denied that his church was forcibly converting people. The Hindu extremists threatened to throw acid on Kujur's face and bomb his church if he did not stop converting Hindus to Christianity.

Following the attack, the mob took away all the Bibles kept in the church as "evidence" that the church was indulging in illegal conversions by distributing them. They then took Kujur in their vehicle to nearby Barela police station to lodge a formal complaint against him.

When they reached the police station, the police promptly arrested Kujur on charges of illegal conversion under the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Freedom of Religion Act and put him in a holding cell.

No Evidence

Church members and Christian leaders soon reached the police station and lodged a counter-complaint against the attackers, with Tiwari as the complainant.

Their complaint named four of the attackers - Yogesh Agarwal, Sudhir Agarwal, Kedar Namdev and Indra Bhan - who had earlier attacked a house church belonging to the Assemblies of God and lodged a complaint against seven church members in a similar fashion on April 7. (See Compass Direct, "Christians in India Attacked, Charged with Illegal Conversion," April 13).

Local Christians immediately drove to the police station and signed the bond for Kujur, who was released at 7 p.m. Police were investigating the complaint made against him at press time.

The pattern of extremists attacking a church and then lodging a complaint to get Christians arrested on charges of "illegal conversion" has become common, a local source told Compass.

He said that at least 15 such incidents had taken place since the beginning of the year in Jabalpur alone.

He also said that despite several assurances from Srinivas Rao, the superintendent of police of Jabalpur, and from District Collector Sanjay Dubey, the incidence of attacks and false charges against Christians continued to increase.

www.compassdirect.org

Woman Accuses Family of Attempted Forced Conversion in India

Woman Accuses Family of Attempted Forced Conversion in India
Extremists issue death threats to Assemblies of God pastor in Uttar Pradesh state.

NEW DELHI, May 11 (Compass Direct) - A woman in the city of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh state, has accused six of her uncles and their pastor of trying to forcefully convert her to Christianity.

The men involved say the accusations are an attempt to get revenge after a dispute erupted over a drainage channel.

The tension began three months ago, when Saroj Maurya, the 35-year-old niece of six brothers who attend prayer meetings at the home of Assemblies of God Pastor Mehboob Masih, fought with them over a government drainage channel that flowed past the door of her room.

Maurya is the daughter of the seventh brother, who passed away a few years ago.

She blocked the channel with a brick, but later found the brick had been removed. Blaming her uncles, she apparently locked up one of her aunts for several hours in a fit of anger.

One of the brothers, who works in Delhi, came back to solve the dispute. Maurya, however, rejected his intervention and approached local newspapers with a statement accusing her uncles and Pastor Masih of attempted forced conversion.

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh immediately launched a campaign against Masih.

Death Threats

Three local leaders of the Hindu nationalist BJP came to Masih’s house on Saturday (May 6) and warned him not to hold the prayer meeting, Masih told Compass.

Masih holds a prayer meeting every Sunday in his house at Fateh Ganj, a suburb of Bareilly.

The BJP members apparently told Masih he would meet the same fate as Australian missionary Graham Staines and two of his children, who were burned alive in Orissa state in January 1999, if he continued to hold the meetings.

“They also said if I gathered people for prayer, they would instead hold a Hindu worship ceremony in my house,” said Masih.

Later that day, at 11 p.m., a senior officer of the Fateh Ganj police station came to Masih’s house and ordered him not to hold the prayer meeting the following day. According to Masih, the officer said his men would not be held responsible for any “untoward incident” – and that in the event of any resulting disturbances, police would arrest Masih.

Masih submitted a complaint on Sunday morning, but the police refused to give him a signed copy as required by law. Instead, they informed Masih that a case had been filed against him for attempted forced conversion.

When Compass spoke to Station House Officer Rajesh Singh Solanki, however, he denied advising Masih not to hold the prayer meeting. He further denied any knowledge of the case filed against Masih, claiming the sub-divisional magistrate was handling it.

“This is a gross violation of the right to religious freedom of the Assembly of God church in Bareilly,” said Jose Sam, a representative of the All India Christian Council (AICC) in Delhi.

The Assemblies of God church is a member of the AICC. Sam will assist in defending Masih against the allegations.

www.compassdirect.com

Update on the Kota Situation

Dr. Samuel Thomas, President of Emmanuel Ministries, was granted bail by the Jaipur High Court, and is scheduled to be released from the Kota Central Jail May 2, India time. Emmanuel Ministries' Founder, Bishop M.A. Thomas, was also granted bail on the same charges of "fomenting communal disharmony" by India's Supreme Court on April
20.

Emmanuel still awaits the decision of the Court concerning the unfreezing of the ministries' bank accounts and the renewing of the ministries' permits to operate its many schools and orphanages.

Courtesy: Persecuted Church of India Yahoo Group.

Supreme Court grants bail to Bishop M.A. Thomas

Friday, April 21, 2006

Supreme Court grants bail to Bishop M.A. Thomas

Hopegivers Founder Bishop M.A. Thomas was finally granted freedom on bail today by the Supreme Court in New Delhi. Bishop Thomas had been forced underground for more than two months after an arrest warrant was issued and terrorists put a $26,000 bounty on his head. His son, Dr. Samuel Thomas, remains in prison and his bail will be considered again on Monday, April 24.

The decision provides welcome relief from a vicious campaign of persecution against Christians in the lower courts of Rajasthan, a north Indian state controlled by the radically anti-Christian BJP government.

In the same Supreme Court hearing, bail was also granted to the Rev. V.S. Thomas, the executive director of the large orphanage supported by Hopegivers in Kota, Rajasthan. Pastor Thomas (not related to Bishop M.A. Thomas) has been held for 61 days in jail as part of a persecution campaign against Christians by government authorities in the state. The news comes as a great relief to Indian Christians who have been praying and writing letters to the Indian government for two months.

Hopegivers Co-Founder Dr. Samuel Thomas has now been held in a Rajasthan jail for 37 days and awaits his next bail hearing on Monday.

Several anti-Christian elements have combined their efforts in recent months in an attempt to shut down the work of Hopegivers International through intimidation and violence. The latest tactic has been harassment through litigation with the help of politicized local authorities. A legal team for the radical anti-Christians claims that they are preparing 14 more suits against the humanitarian organization which cares for 10,000 orphaned or abandoned children.

Violence mars Holy Week celebrations

The Holy Week was marred by violence against the minority Christian community in different parts of India. The vicious trend seemed to suggest a systematic campaign against Christians and their institutions by the Hindutva elements to further intimidate them so that millions of Dalits and Backward Classes would continue to remain in bondage.

Pastor injured in attack

In Karnataka, 30 Hindu extremists belonging to Bajrang Dal attacked a church at Mangalore on Easter Sunday, seriously injuring its Pastor VP Paulose. He had to be hospitalised, requiring emergency treatment. In Madhya Pradesh, two Christian women were arrested for "promoting conversion" in Jabalpur on Good Friday. In Maharashtra, two pastors suffered serious injuries when 50 Hindu extremists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad barged into a prayer meeting of 500 Christians and assaulted them with chains and iron rods on 11 April 2006.

In the attack in Mangalore district, the Pastor belonging to the Living Faith Ministry at Bantaguri received severe head injuries besides fracture in his hands. His wife also was severely beaten up. The attackers threatened to harm the Christians if they continued their prayer meetings.

"About 10 people carrying cricket bats came to the prayer hall earlier in the afternoon inspecting the whole area and went back," Austin Mark (70) said. When the prayer meeting was over and only women and children stayed back to attend a special programme, the extremists returned with another 20 people and started asking whether they were converting Hindus.

Then they went about ransacking the hall, damaging chairs, the sound system including amplifiers, tables, LCD projector and musical instruments. "The extremists waited till all the men had left the venue to barge into the hall," one of the believers said. "They later locked the hall from inside and threatened the women and children with dire consequences."

Two women held for distributing pamphlets

In Jabalpur, two women were arrested for "promoting conversion". The police arrested Mariamma Mathew (36) and B Godwil (65) for distributing Christian pamphlets. They seized the literature from them.

According to the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, anyone promoting religion or organising religious functions must obtain permission from the district collector. Jabalpur Superintendent of Police D Srinivas Rao said the women had not sought permission from him.

Indira Iyengar, president of the Madhya Pradesh Christian Association, questioned how the women could be accused of doing anything illegal. "These women were merely distributing literature, which is not a crime," she said. "The police and the government are misusing the law to harass Christians and implicate them in false cases."

Senior police officials said they had yet to determine whether the pamphlets seized contained anything objectionable. "Even before verifying the documents, how could they arrest the two women. Constant victimisation of the Christian community indicates that the government is cooperating with Hindu extremist groups. Since the BJP came to power, the minorities are insecure as the police have the support of the administration," she said.
Rev Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said the arrest of two women "seems to be another blatant act of intimidation of ordinary citizens of this country by those who are meant to protect their safety."

Church vandalized

In Mumbai, two pastors received serious injuries when about 50 Hindu extremists belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad barged into a prayer meeting of some 500 Christians and assaulted them. The extremists also desecrated the Bible.
The Christians belonging to Living Light Fellowship Church had gathered for the prayer meeting in Khopte village in Uran, a township on the outskirts of Mumbai. According to Pastor Rev Joseph, the men entered the hall at about 4 pm and video-taped the entire worship session for half an hour. Then they came onto the dais and snatched the microphone from his hand, grabbed the Bible and accused him of converting people to Christianity.
"They slapped me and then thrashed me with chains, iron rods and sticks," the Pastor said. "My right arm was fractured, my right ribs were broken and my head was bleeding profusely." They also attacked other pastors present on the dais.

Soon after, the extremists began pelting stones at the assembly and snatching copies of the Bible. Pastor T Shekhar, who received three stitches on the left side of his head, said the extremists used foul language and demanded to know their contacts for "conversion activities."

The pastors were then dragged to Shankar Mandir nearby, where the Hindu extremists attempted to force them to worship. When they resisted, they were beaten up.

Abraham Mathai, general secretary of the All India Christian Council, said, "If so many anti-Christian incidents took place during the holiest week of the year, I question the secular fabric of this nation," he said. "The police neither provide protection to Christian assemblies nor prevent such anti-Christian violence. They are in fact are sympathisers of the fundamentalist elements."

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Christian Pastor Goes Missing

By SAR NEWS

NAGERCOIL, Tamil Nadu (SAR NEWS) -- Delux Raj (27), a pastor belonging to the independent Zion Church and a native of Chengavillai village in Thiruvananthapuram district on the Tamil Nadu border with Kerala state, has been reported missing since March 26.

The pastor's wife was admitted for delivery in a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram City. On March 26, the pastor went out of the hospital to have tea and never returned.

Meanwhile, an anonymous letter written in Tamil and Malayalam languages received here says, "The pastor will not speak about Jesus. We have taken custody of him. He will never return. He is in Heaven."

The letter has been posted from nearby Parasala area in the same district.

Pastor Delux Raj had a three-year theological education in Haryana and worked for some time in North India.

Speaking to SAR News, Pastor Raj’s father M. Alexander, who is also a pastor in an independent church, said his disappearance was a mystery. The family had no enmity with any religious fundamentalist group, relatives or neighbours.

A missing complaint has been lodged with the police authorities and the District Collector.

Church attacked in Mangalore, Pastor injured

From our correspondent

In a shocking incident, a group of Hindu fanatics attacked a church at Moodabidari near Mangalore in Karnataka on 16 April 2006. The miscreants, numbering about 30, barged into Shanti Nilaya at Balmatta in Moodabidari and ransacked the hall where Easter was being celebrated.

The incident occurred around 3.45 pm when men, women and children had gathered at Shanthi Nilaya for regular prayers after the Easter celebrations. The miscreants barged into the hall, destroyed the musical instruments, chairs and tables, broke window panes and doors and damaged some vehicles parked nearby. They warned the gathering saying such prayers should not be held.

They also beat up the Pastor very badly, necessitating his immediate hospitalisation. His hands had been fractured and legs and head badly wounded. "He is still under treatment," sources said.

In all six people have been arrested so far. The police are on the lookout for the others. According to the Pastor, the local media had been very supportive of the Hindu fanatics. In spite of all the protests made, nothing had been done to contain the Hidutva elements in the area, he alleged.

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Urgent Press statement from Jabalpur Christian Conference

Jabalpur Christian Conference

Press Statement for Urgent Release

20th April 2006


The Christian Community of Jabalpur is horrified at the maltreatment being dished out to them in the past few days by the now apparent alliance forged by the administration and anti-social elements of the Hindutva brigade.

From January 2006 till now there have been at least 10 cases of atrocity against the Christian community by the members of the Dharma Sena, Bajrang Dal, BJP and the VHP. These elements have not only attacked Christian homes and Churches, they have also indulged in destroying Christian properties, hurting religious sentiments of the community by insulting our scriptures, tearing posters of Jesus Christ, misbehaving with women and threatening Christians in general etc. Further they appear to be more and more emboldened each day because of the now, largely perceived and apparent Police and administration support being doled out to them openly.

The recent case in this series has been the arrest of 7 innocent young men from the Barela area on the 18th April 2005 allegedly under the Madhya Pradesh Swatantrata Adhiniyam. Their names are: Avinash Lal, Vikas Lal, Nandu Chakravarty, Manish Chakravarty, Chandrabhan Chakravarty, Jai Ram Rajak and Pradeep Dube.

All of the accused except Pradeep Dube have been charged by the Barela police under sections 3 and 4 of the above act. The fact is that these boys, mostly in their early 20's were all picked up from their friend's place in Barela, where they were all gathered socially. According to the young men, on the 18th April 2006, around 7: 30 pm around 10 policemen along with some Bajrang Dal members suddenly pounced on them and started questioning them and began to search the place. The Bajrang Dal people who accompanied the police are: Yogesh Agrawal, Nitesh Ritesh Burman, Jamna Patel, and Sharda Vishwakarma. Yogesh Agrawal has been involved in targeting the Christian community for long now and has been involved in more than 2 incidents against the minority community. The police protection of him is evident as is the hand of the rich and powerful behind him.

The police and the Bajrang Dal people also indulged in violence and carried the young men to the police station. There they were detained and questioned about their involvement in forced and fraudulent conversions. Some Bajrang Dal people had also given a report that the accused young men had tried to bribe them with money to accept Christianity and had told them that they will get through their academics without studying. This claim is refuted by the young men, who say that they do not even know these people properly, then how could they approach them with such offers. Also one only has to look at the accused and the so called allegation of financial promise will fall flat on its face, for the boys are all from very poor background. Most of them are converted Christians of their own freewill with Hindu families and facing strict opposition in their own homes. Then how could they promise money and education to the complainants with their limited resources?

The young men also allege that the police, when they could not find any evidence of forced or fraudulent conversion, deliberately placed a Bible and some Gospel tracts at their meeting place. The same was later quoted by the police as evidence against these boys. Let us for one moment even assume that the boys did have Bibles and Gospel Literature in their home, does that make them criminals or proves that they have been dealing in conversions? This is an outright insult of our constitution, which promises freedom of religion for citizens of India and a deliberate targeting of the Christian community by the conspiracy of the police and the Bajrang Dal. Also one must question the involvement of the Bajrang Dal in the raid and the subsequent questioning of the Christians? Who gave the Bajrang Dal and its goons the power to conduct raids along with the police? Surely it leaves no one in doubt that the police of Jabalpur and indeed Madhya Pradesh is either sold out to or controlled by the Hindutva brigade.

The young men were detained for around 5 hours before being let out on bail. Their misery however did not end there.

On the 19th April 2006 at around 8:00 pm, the TI of the Barela Police Station, Mr. Sanjay Kumar summoned all the boys except Deepak Dube again to the police station on the pretext of questioning. His motives were different though as the boys soon learned. He along with other police officials questioned the boys in his unique way. They were all treated like criminals and were beaten mercilessly by hands and wooden clubs and rods by Mr. Sanjay Kumar and his police friends. The police fraternity even spat on the boys and threatened them of dire consequences if they did not confess to receiving money from abroad for forced conversions. The police friends of Mr. Sanjay Kumar warned them of the anger and wrath of the Bajrang Dal all the while beating them mercilessly. This is a gross violation of all law and order procedure and cannot be tolerated. It is not only inhuman but also unconstitutional. Mr. Sanjay Kumar who is only a trainee of the IPS has forgotten his duties and needs to be reminded of the same.

Throughout the week now there have been reports in the papers that Christians when they gathered at the Kotwali Police station shouted anti - National slogans. This is a serious allegation and one that is untrue. We wish to clarify that we love our country as much as anyone else and perhaps more for the Christian community has contributed so much for the cause of nation building. The systematic disinformation campaign against the Christian community will lead to bloodshed of innocent Christians if it is not stopped now. The peddlers of hate led by the Hindutva brigade and some corrupts authorities have to controlled.

The Christian community of Jabalpur demands the following actions by the authorities so that confidence can be instilled into them and they are convinced of the impartiality of the administration:

• An action against Yogesh Agrawal, Acharya Maharaj and their team of the Bajrang Dal. Mr. Agrawal's involvement against Christians has been clearly noted in more than 2 incidents and he is the main person behind all the disinformation campaigns maligning the community.
• An Action against Mr. Sanjay Kumar the TI of Barela police station for not only ignoring his duties as the protector of the innocent but also conniving with the anti social elements to target the minority Christian community in his area. His act of violence against the young men, while they had been released on bail speaks poorly of his commitment to the constitution as well. We demand that Mr. Kumar is suspended from his duties and a competent officer dedicated to social harmony be placed in his position.
• We also request the media not to carry articles against the Christian community without verifying them in the first place. We are willing to cooperate with the media so that reporting is unbiased and does not create disharmony and prejudice in the society.
• Proper action is demanded in cases already pending. We demand that Justice be given to the minority Christian community who are increasingly becoming the target of hate and abuse by the Hindutva elements.

Released to the Media by Jabalpur Christian Conference

Hindu activists ransack prayer halls

DH News Service Mangalore:

A group of about eight to 10 persons allegedly belonging to a Hindu organisation barged into a prayer hall, assaulted the priest and ransacked the property at Bantaguri in Bantwal taluk on Easter Sunday.

A group of about eight to 10 persons allegedly belonging to a Hindu organisation barged into a prayer hall, assaulted the priest and ransacked the property at Bantaguri in Bantwal taluk on Easter Sunday. In a separate incident, a group of about 20 to 25 persons allegedly belonging to a Hindu organisation barged into a prayer hall and ransacked the property at Balmatta.

In the first incident, the group barged into 'Believers Church' at Bantaguri around 11.30 am and threatened the people present there with dire consequences if they continued the prayer.

Assault

They assaulted priest John who was preaching at the time of incident, Superintendent of Police B Dayanand said. The priest has been admitted to hospital and is recuperating.

The group also damaged the prayer hall.

Later, they damaged the priest’s house as well as his car. In the second incident, a group of about 25 persons barged into a prayer hall belonging to the Student Christian Community (SJM), located next to Shanthi Nilaya in Balmatta around 3.45 pm when women and children were offering prayers.

No men were said to be present then.

According to an eyewitness, the miscreants waited till all the men left the venue and then barged into the hall. They later locked the hall from inside and threatened the women and children with dire consequences.

Ransack

It is said that the preacher too had left the venue when they barged in.

Before leaving the venue, the miscreants ransacked the hall, broke the musical instruments, including an organ, music system and speakers, amplifiers, about 30 chairs, tubelights, tables and other material.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, an aged person said that prayers were being offered in the hall for the past several years.

SP Dayanand said that two separate cases have been registered at Bantwal Town Police Station and Kadri Police Station. Further investigations are on.

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Christian women arrested in MP on conversion charges

Bhopal (ICNS)

Police arrested two Christian women in Madhaya Pradesh accusing them of attempting to convert people by distributing pamphlets on Bible.

Mariamma Mathew, 36, and B. Godwil, 65 were arrested on Friday after a person complained that the women distributed pamphlets in Jabalpur town explaining to people how they can have a peaceful life following Bible.According police an existing state law, the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, bars anyone campaigning about a religion or organizing religious functions without permission from district officials. The women had no such permission for their action.

Christian leaders in the state said this was not an isolated incident, but only latest in a string of such arrests.

They also say Christians have been harassed for the past two-and-half in the state after the BJP government came to power.