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Kidnapped wife of pastor yet to be freed |
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Written by Correspondent
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Saturday, 29 May 2004 |
 The kidnapped wife of a Christian priest in Gujarat still remains captive even six weeks after the crime. The local police are allegedly non-cooperative, refusing either to question the kidnappers or to identify them.
Manjulaben Ninama (23) is the wife of Pastor Dharmesh Ninama, an Assembly of God missionary in Dahod district, Gujarat. Manjulaben was assaulted and abducted on 29 May 2004 while buying vegetables at the local market.
Earlier that day, Dharmesh had left to preach in Ahmedabad. He returned home two days later to discover that his wife was missing. When he lodged a complaint with the local police authorities, he was directed to search for his wife among his friends and relatives. This happened despite the fact that Dharmesh had several eyewitness accounts from the villagers who had seen his wife being abducted from the marketplace.
The witnesses identified 10 men who were involved in the assault and kidnapping. They are understood to be part of a local gang reportedly led by one Devjibhai Hirabhai Pargi. The group is said to be active members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, both extremist Hindu organisations. They also have allies in the State legislative assembly.
According to eyewitness reports, Pargi was drunk and he violently waved a sword at the time of the assault to keep off bystanders. His men assaulted Manjulaben, snatching her earrings and gold bracelets. When some of the bystanders protested, the gang took her away from the marketplace.
Dharmesh was also assaulted twice by the same group, once in 2002 and again in 2003. He is the first Christian missionary to risk preaching openly in the area. When the police failed to launch an investigation, Dharmesh and his relatives visited the homes of the culprits, searching for the missing woman. They finally found her, bound in a house belonging to one Shankarbhai Hirabhai Maal, one of Pargi’s men.
However, before they could rescue Manjulaben, a group of about 10 men attacked Dharmesh and his relatives. While most of them managed to escape, one of his relatives was caught and beaten up.
By the time the police arrived, the kidnappers had fled the scene with Manjulaben. “Three policemen arrived at the scene about an hour late,” Dharmesh said. “I begged the police to search the neighbourhood. But they refused to do so.”
Dharmesh returned to the police station the following day to seek further help. In his presence, the police officer rang up the kidnappers and asked them to release Manjulaben. The pastor was told his wife would be returned “soon”. However, to date no further action has been taken. Dharmesh has been visiting the police station regularly for the past 40 days, pleading for help but in vain.
Samson Christian, aicc joint secretary, says he cannot believe such a thing happening in India. “A woman kidnapped on May 29 has yet to be saved by the police. This is despite knowing who the culprits are!” Incidentally it was at the instance of aicc, the local police registered a First Information Report (FIR No 94/04) on June 12, adding charges of abduction and rape against the accused.
The aicc has launched a campaign to save Manjulaben, meeting with the Gujarat Director General of Police, the State Human Rights Commission and the State Women’s Commission. Even this has failed to get the desired result. “This is mainly because Manjulaben is a Christian living in a state controlled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party,” Samson says. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 September 2009 )
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