CHHATISGARH’S Bastar region looks seductive in its tranquil beauty. The
calm on the surface, however, is deceptive because the area is simmering
with a hate campaign, spurred by the Hindutva organisations led by the
VHP. There has always been a subterranean terror campaign against
members of the minuscule Christian community in this region, but the
arrival of a BJP-led government at the Centre has emboldened these
organisations to such an extent that a particularly systematic campaign
to drive Christians out of the State has begun. To make matters worse,
even the police turn a blind eye; no first information reports (FIR) get
registered and representations to the Chief Minister, the Chief
Secretary, or the police chief have no impact on the ground reality.
It all began on May 10 in Sirsiguda village when a meeting of the gram
panchayat was convened and a resolution passed under Section 129(G) of
the Chhattisgarh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, which sought to “preserve the
traditional cultural unity of the village; prohibit non-Hindu religious
practitioners from either practising, preaching or propagating any
other religion; banning the entry of non-Hindus in the area; and
prohibiting the construction of any religious place without the prior
permission of the gram panchayat”. The resolution stated that anyone
violating these clauses would be liable for action. The resolution (a
copy of which is with Frontline) was signed by the village
sarpanch and other office-bearers of the gram panchayat. As many as 50
gram sabhas have passed similar resolutions.
The 50-odd Christian families in Sirsiguda village have been denied
their PDS rations on the grounds that their ration cards are fake. They
filed a complaint with to the district Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer
Protection Department on June 16. After the authorities arrived in the
village to investigate the issue, those who deposed before them, mainly
Christians, were beaten up by a group of 150-odd VHP activists, in full
public view, with the local policemen remaining mute spectators. Even
though an FIR naming the perpetrators of the violence was lodged the
next day, so far no arrests have been made (Frontline has a copy
of the FIR). The shops in the village refuse to sell their goods to the
Christian families, who have been repeatedly warned by VHP activists to
either convert to Hinduism or leave the place.
Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, told Frontline that
this incident had triggered a chain reaction in the entire Bastar
region. Efforts to apprise the Chief Minister and other senior Ministers
have been in vain. “We have sought an appointment with the Chief
Minister more than 50 times, but he has not given us time. Complaining
to other State government officials has been of no help as they only
give assurances and nothing changes on the ground,” Pannalal said. (The
forum filed a writ petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court on September 5
challenging the constitutionality of the resolutions adopted by the
village councils. On September 8, the court asked the State government
to file its reply within three weeks.)
Attacks on Christians, systematic and in full knowledge of the
authorities, have become frequent since the Modi government took office
in New Delhi. On July 27, in Parapur village, where only two Christian
families have been living for the past several years, Sukhram, 22, was
beaten up by VHP activists and the police refused to register an FIR.
Instead, his family was told either to compromise or to face the
consequence. Intimidation and attacks have been happening in and around
the Dhamtari area, which has a concentration of Christian families, too.
“No one is doing anything for us. We are totally helpless, at the mercy
of Hindutva goons. The government does not listen to us, the police take
no action, the political parties just don’t care. Where do we go? What
do we do? We are not even allowed to pray in peace,” Pannalal said,
conveying the despondency and frustration the community as a whole is
experiencing in the State.
Attacks on Christians in Chhattisgarh are not a recent phenomenon. In
January 2012, activists of the Hindu Dharam Sena created a ruckus in the
Catholic Convent School in Korba, protesting against the principal not
allowing Saraswati puja in the classroom. In February 2008, BJP Minister
Renuka Singh led an attack on a Christian meeting at Fatakpur village
in Sarguja district. Eleven pastors, accused of conversion, sustained
injuries in the attack. They were arrested and later put in jail where
they continue to remain. In June 2006, five practising Christian women
from Bothili village in Durg district were disrobed at a public meeting
by goons led by BJP MLA Pritam Sahu, who was accompanied by one Madanlal
Sahu.
But the difference now is that with the BJP in power at the Centre, the
attacks have become more brazen and the indifference of the authorities
has become starker. Take for example the Sirsiguda gram panchayat
resolution. The gram panchayat sabha is a local government meeting
attended by local body representatives, but a copy of the resolution
banning non-Hindus in the area was sent to the local VHP head. This
raises serious concerns about the state officially encouraging non-state
actors in matters as sensitive as religion. According to Chhattisgarh
Christian Forum members, even the police are in cahoots with VHP
functionaries. “In such a scenario, where do we go?” one of them asked.
“Physical violence was something that has been present over the years,
but now structural violence also has begun, which is far more dangerous
because it aims at systemically targeting Christian believers. This is
more dangerous because Christianity has been in existence in the Bastar
region for the last 100-125 years and to suddenly displace people,
calling them outsiders, accusing them of conversion, is painful. It
breeds hate, causes pain and frustration, and polarises society
communally,” said Akhilesh Edgar, honorary regional secretary of the
Evangelical Fellowship of India, an organisation that has been taking up
such issues with the State government over the years, without much
success.
As for the role of the secular parties, “the less said, the better”,
Edgar said. The CPI, however, has tried and intervened effectively
sometimes, but the Congress could not care less, he said.
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