(http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=44634)
New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) At least 4,000 Christians,
Dalits and rights activists from across the
country courted arrest here Tuesday while protesting
against the "silence" of the government
on the alleged rise in anti-Christian attacks.
At a rally, "Stop Violence on Christians",
held at Jantar Mantar here, Christian and Dalit
leaders, including All India Christian Council
(AICC) president Joseph D'Souza, National Integration
Council member John Dayal, Justice Party president
Udit Raj and Mount Carmel School principal V.K.
Williams, warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
that his silence could lead to killing of innocent
people at the hands of communal forces.
"The protest is in the wake of attacks
on Pastor Walter Masih in Jaipur, Rajasthan
on April 19 and priests Ramesh Gopargode and
Ajit Belavi on May 7 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra,
and a high incidence of communal assaults this
year thus far," Madhu Chandra, an AICC
leader, told IANS.
Chandra said that in 2006, the AICC recorded
at least one incident of anti-Christian attack
every third day, "but this rose to one
attack every alternate day during the first
four months of this year".
The participants, who were from several states
including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Orissa and Andhra
Pradesh, shouted slogans against the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying,
"UPA government, wake up and stop atrocities
on Christians."
Also present at the rally were victims of communal
violence, including Masih and two Christians
from Himachal Pradesh, Bernard Christopher and
Ravinder Gautam, who were allegedly tonsured
and forcibly "reconverted" to Hinduism
in Kullu district May 23.
Dayal said Christianity had been reduced to
a "daylight religion", because "the
people of the community feel unsafe after sunset".
Expressing disappointment with the Congress
party that leads the UPA, Dayal added that it
was no longer only the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) that should be blamed for anti-Christian
agenda. "Look at the Congress-government
in Himachal Pradesh, which enacted the anti-
conversion law," he said.
Dalit leader Raj told the Christians not to
trust any political party including the Congress
saying, "You must have hopes only from
yourselves."
Offering Dalits' support to the Christian community,
Raj added that they should "learn to identify
their friends".
The crowd left the Parliament Street police
station, where they courted arrest, at 2.15
p.m. after an official announced that there
were not enough jails to keep such a huge number
of people.
Christians in Mumbai also staged a rally at
Azad Maidan to show solidarity with the protesters
here.
IANS
>> 05/29/2007 15:45
INDIA
In Delhi 4,000 Christians arrested in peaceful
protest against violence Police take into custody
almost everyone in today's big rally in the
capital. Protesters took to the streets demanding
respect for their human and constitutional rights.
Delhi (AsiaNews) - More than 4,000 protestors
marched through the streets of India's capital
today to call for the Union Government of India
to break its silence on violence against Christians
across the country have been arrested by the
police.
The rally, called "Stop Violence On Christians",
was organised after two recently televised attacks
on Christians and an increase of anti- Christian
incidents in the first few months of 2007.
The rally started at 10am at Jantar Mantar
near the Parliament in New Delhi. Rally organisers
had expected 2,000 people, but attendance was
estimated at 5,000. Speeches demanded human
dignity and constitutional
rights for the Christian community and other
repressed minorities. Minorities are facing
harassment from Hindutva fundamentalists and,
in many cases, local government officials.
The Station House Officer, Parliament Street
Police Station, confirmed he had "arrested"
approximately 4,000 people at 1:05pm and released
them at 2:10pm.
"This was the first time since November
1997 that such large numbers of Christians have
been arrested in the Parliament Street Police
Station. It was incredible to see Catholic nuns,
Protestant pastors, civil society activists
and more singing Christian songs of liberation
within the police station," said John Dayal,
Secretary General, All India Christian Council,
and President, All India Catholic Union..F.
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Thousands of Christians "Arrested"
in Peaceful Protest Against Growing Anti-Christian
Violence Across India Muslim, Dalit, Women,
Student, and Christian groups unite in rally
near India's Parliament in New Delhi
NEW DELHI, INDIA - May 29, 2007: More than
4,000 protestors marched through the streets
of India's capital today to call for the Union
Government of India to break its silence on
violence against Christians across the country.
The rally, called "Stop Violence On Christians",
was organised after two recently televised attacks
on
Christians and an increase of anti-Christian
incidents in the first few months of 2007.
The rally started at 10am at Jantar Mantar
near the Parliament in New Delhi. Rally organisers
had expected 2,000 people, but attendance was
estimated at 5,000. Speeches demanded human
dignity and constitutional
rights for the Christian community and other
repressed minorities. Minorities are facing
harassment from Hindutva fundamentalists and,
in many cases, local government officials.
The Station House Officer, Parliament Street
Police Station, said he had "arrested"
approximately 4,000 people at 1:05pm and released
them at 2:10pm. It is standard practice for
protestors who obstruct traffic to be detoured
into the police station yard. They are temporarily
detained for their own protection and allowed
to state their demands to police authorities.
"This was the first time since November
1997 that such large numbers of Christians have
been arrested in the Parliament Street Police
Station. It was incredible to see Catholic nuns,
Protestant pastors, civil society activists
and more singing Christian songs of liberation
within the police station," said John Dayal,
Secretary General, All India Christian Council.
Large numbers of Catholics and Evangelicals
were joined by Muslims, Buddhists and progressive
Hindus, leaders of various women's organisations,
students groups from several universities, and
Christian lawyers, teachers, and professors.
Rally organisers reported attendees from at
least seven states in India.
Dr. Joseph D'souza, President, All India Christian
Council, said, "The diversity of protestors,
from several religious communities, different
Christian denominations, and even civil society
groups, show that India's citizens want a truly
secular India. People should be able to practice
their faith without violent attacks. The government's
silence in the face of recent anti-Christian
incidents is not only an injustice, it is dangerous."
Christian leaders fear copycat attacks could
come in the future due to silence by government
authorities after recently televised beatings
of pastors. Throughout the morning crowds chanted,
"Prime Minister, your silence kills".
At 12:15pm, crowds began a march to present
a memorandum of demands to the Prime Minister
of India. However, a majority of the attendees
were detained at the Parliament Street Police
Station. Organisers said that they decided not
to submit the memorandum as originally planned.
Instead, it will be released as an open letter
to the government.
Recent victims of anti-Christian violence spoke,
such as Rev. Walter Masih from Jaipur, Rajasthan,
whose beating by masked attackers on April 29,
2007 was broadcast nationally. Rev. Masih walks
with a limp due to the attack and shared his
experience with the crowd inside the police
station with the help of a police PA system.
Throughout the day, other speakers protested
the recent wave of violence, demanded immediate
implementation of the Misra Commission recommendations,
and even proposed new legislation.
Bishop Karam Masih, Bishop of Delhi, Church
of North India (CNI), said, "Today I don't
come as a CNI leader. I come as a Christian.
All denominations should unite until all the
anti-Christian atrocities stop."
Dr. Ms. Begum Fatima Shahmaz, India Peace
Organisation, said, "Those parties and
groups who are persecuting Christians should
be treated as terrorists. It is unacceptable
to attack others based on a difference in spiritual
beliefs."
Dr. Udit Raj, National Chairman, All India
Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled
Tribes Organisations, said, "Today there
is a special unity of Christians and Dalits
around the country. We, Dalits, have been attacked
for thousands of years and you have been recently
attacked. Christians have given much to this
country so I want to teach you how to be united,
and, if you are united, we can stop the attacks."
Mr. Mudra Rakshas, noted Hindi writer and theatre
artist, said, "Because of the increasing
attacks, we need a new law that tells police
how they should handle people who are mistreating
Christians. We should agitate until the new
law comes."
The Misra Commission, officially called the
National Commission for Religious & Linguistic
Minorities, recommended last week that the Union
Government change a 1950 law which restricts
government benefits to Scheduled Castes who
are Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist. Millions of poor
Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians would benefit
from the change and the recommendations will
likely affect pending cases before the Supreme
Court of India.
The All India Christian Council (aicc) was
a co-sponsor of the rally. Other organisers
included several Christian groups and the All
India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations.
The aicc said meetings similar to the Delhi
gathering were planned for today in Mumbai and
smaller cities like Nagpur and Pune. They also
confirmed that yesterday, in 23 of 25 districts
in Andhra Pradesh, protest marches were held
under the leadership of local aicc chapters.
In 2006, there was an incident of harassment
or violence against Christians approximately
once every three days. In the first four months
of 2007, there has been an attack every other
day on average, according to records kept by
the aicc. In addition to the televised attack
on Rev. Masih, an attack by Hindutva activists
on two pastors in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, was
televised on May 9, 2007.
The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org),
birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve
the Christian community, minorities, and the
oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of
thousands of Indian denominations, organizations,
and lay leaders.
Release by Rev. Madhu Chandra
