More attacks in India, Orissa government may disband
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The India Christian Council is endorsing the Union Government’s decision to warn state leaders about anti-Christian violence in the states of Orissa and Karnataka. The Union Government has invoked Article 355 of the Constitution warning the administrators that it will intervene if they don’t take action. –
MNN reports Founder and President of Gospel for Asia
KP Yohannan says, “The Central Government, today, proclaimed that
unless you stop doing this, we are going to take action, which means
they will simply dismiss the local government.”
Khabrein.info reports With the violence continuing in Karnataka and fresh attacks on
churches, home minister Shivraj Patil has asked the special secretary
(internal security) M.L. Kumawat to rush to Bengaluru to assess the
security measures for tackling the situation in the state. The
high-powered home ministry team will visit Karnataka on Tuesday and
will hold discussions with the chief secretary and other senior state
government officials.
The Hindu reports The Karnataka government on Monday decided to invoke the provisions
of the Anti-Goonda Act 1985 against people indulging in attacks on
places of Christian worship in various districts.
At a briefing after a special meeting of the Cabinet here, Chief
Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said the police had been given full freedom
to book cases under the Act, under which a person involved in such acts
could be summarily arrested and detained. A high level committee would
decide on further detention.
UCAN reports A Catholic priest was murdered in his residence in northern India along
with a woman who came for prayer, and local Church people are at a loss
as to why it happened. The body of Father Francis, popularly known as Sadhu Asteya, was found face to the ground, his hands and legs tied. The body of the woman, Mercy Bahadur, 25, was found in the kitchen
of the house. According to diocesan sources, she would visit the priest
for counseling and prayer.
Asia News reports No end to the attacks and violence
against Christians. In Orissa, where for more than three weeks a pogrom
against Catholics and Protestants has been underway, two more killings
have been recorded. Iswar Digal and Purinder Pradhan were murdered and
cut to pieces. Iswar Digal, was from the the village of Gatringia in
the district of Kandhamal; he was stopped on September 20 by a group of
Hindu extremists while he and his wife were trying to escape to a
refugee camp. Their home was burned. The other victim was from
Nilungia. His body was cut to pieces, put into a jute sack, and thrown
into a pond.
UCAN reports Violence against Christians arises out of frustration Hindu radical
groups feel over the Christian influence on poor people in India, says
P.V. Thomas, a senior journalist and political commentator. Thomas says Christian influence on India is far greater than the
community’s numerical strength. Demonizing Christians and their
humanitarian works is part of a strategy to alienate them from the
mainstream, he maintains in his commentary for UCA News, arguing that
anti-Christian violence has deep social and political undercurrents.
Rediff News reports The vested political and economic interests are
hitting back with vengeance. Christians are sitting ducks, where no or
negligible retaliation expected. The Church works in areas, where even
the government dares not to go because it is not profitable. The
Church’s education, healthcare and social services in these backward
areas has empowered the weak, poor and deprived vested interests of
vote banks and cheap labour. The emancipation through education,
healthcare, awareness of alternatives and provision of
opportunities have set the oppressed classes free from the clutches of
the upper caste or rich Hindus and slavery of their political
masters. These interests are therefore hitting back at the Christians
to maintain their hold on those, whom they have been exploiting since
ages.
Girish Nikam at India Interacts comments Pray, how many Hindus have been
proselytized, against their will (the law bans conversions against the
will, not willing conversions)? None of these organisations,
who are going berserk, under the benign gaze of the Government in
Karnataka, are willing to give authentic figures. Incidentally,
Christian population which was 1.91 percent of the total population in
Karnataka in 1991 has remained the same according to 2001 census. And
its decadal growth rate at 16.1 percent is lesser than the state
average of 17.5 percent.
So where is the proof of large scale
conversions into Christianity, as claimed by even the Ministers and
Chief Minister? Yet, many people are jumping to conclusions that all
the violence against Christians are a result of conversions.
A list of recent incidents is here.