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 We are alarmed at the developments in the state of Madhya Pradesh where a series of attacks on Christians since the beginning of this year, including molestation of women, have been followed up by goons of the Hindutva Sangh Parivar now attacking a press conference where the most recent victims were narrating their woes to the media. In the state capital of Bhopal.
We demand that the BJP government, which has maintained silence on the violence, act immediately and arrest the groups responsible for the serial violence in the state. We also demand that the government instruct police stations across the State to properly register and investigated cases of hate action and violence against the vulnerable Christian community, much of which belongs to indigenous tribal people. The attempt to gag the voice of the victims and the minority community in general is a nefarious one, and it is shameful that the official machinery is either quiet or is conniving with the perpetrators. The partisanship of its political masters of course has ceased to surprise us any more. Sangh goons led by State Bajrang Dal convener Devender Rawat disrupted a news conference in which two Christian women, who were allegedly gang raped, were being presented. The press conference was being addressed by Congresswoman and State minorities commission member Indira Iyenger. Rawat said: "I will not allow you to tarnish the image of nationalist Hindu organisations," as he and his men vandalized the venue. The police took their time arriving and, instead of making arrests, merely asked the Dal activists and Iyenger to leave. The attack and rape of the Christian women of course has to be seen both in terms of religious intolerance of the Sangh Parivar and in the pattern of violence against women -- the most vulnerable section of our society. On both counts, it must be condemned in the strongest of terms by all segments and all religion groups in our country. We know from official police statistics that a woman is raped every half an hour in India, while one is killed every 75 minutes – usually burnt to death for not bringing a large enough dowry. Police National Crime Records Bureau data says recorded cases of female feticide increased by a half in 2004, for which data is available. The national capital of New Delhi is possibly the least safe place for women – a third of the rape cases take place here. The figure is close to 500. Some of the women are Christians, particularly Tribal from Chhattisgarh working as maids, but these cases are not a matter of religious targeting. The Madhya Pradesh case is very different, and is reminiscent of the gang rape of nuns in Jhabua in the same state many years ago. This one shows well-planned brutality as the gang attacked the homes of a Christian group in Nadia village Bhagwanpura block of Khargone district on the 28th May 2006 at 10:00 pm in the night. They beat up the men, and took away the women to a nearby deserted area and raped them. The rapists have been now identified as Lulla, Nandla, Kalu, Rewal Singh, and Sakaram, all of them from the same village. We had in the past warned the National government in New Delhi that there seemed to be a parallel law and justice administration system working in states ruled by the BJP, which had no respect for religious freedom. The Union Bill against communal violence is yet to become law. It must be adopted by Parliament at the earliest. Meanwhile, the Central government must consider other measures, including convening the National Integration Council meeting, to bring pressure on truant state governments such as exist in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to end the persecution of the Christian community. Press Statement released by Dr. John Dayal, Secretary General, All India Christian Council for favor of publication. Phone no. +91 9811021072
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