Indian Christians cannot honour their dead in Karwar

The Indian government is not respecting its commitments to Catholics: after a cemetery was turned into a military zone, the authorities had assured the community of at least one visit on 2 November.

Karwar (AsiaNews) – Catholics in Karwar on the western coast of India were not allowed to visit the tombs of their loved ones on the commemoration day of 2 November. The government did not grant them permission to go the cemetery of Baithkol, falling short of promises made in the past for the umpteenth time.

The Christian cemetery of Baithkol is around 300 years old. Recently the Indian government took possession of the area of Karwar to construct a naval base; the area included the cemetery. The authorities had given Christians formal assurance that they would be able to visit Baithkol on 2 November. Meanwhile, new burials are not allowed in the cemetery and the community has been assigned another piece of land in Shriwad – 7km from Karwar – however the area is far from ideal from geographic and infrastructural points of view.

Fr Peter Machado from the curia of Karwar diocese said he had received a guarantee "in writing" from the Indian navy, to the effect that visits to the cemetery once a year would be allowed: "This is a human rights issue, the government denied us the right to freedom of worship."

The military navy and the government have thus gone back on their word, buckling under pressure exerted by Hindu fundamentalists, who are against the Christian presence in the area. Already on 2 February, the procession for the annual feast of Our Lady of Springs was forbidden. Why? "For security reasons".

 Local Catholics say they are let down and offended by such behaviour. "The authorities made us a commitment," said one of the locals. "The Christians have lived peacefully with Hindus and Muslims in the area for years." Co-existence is based on the intermingling of customs and traditions of the different communities. Jude Fernandes, a young Catholic, said: "The Hindus and Muslims in the area are an understanding lot. If we were given an opportunity to discuss the issue with them they would have surely appreciated the meaning of our rituals for the dead."

Verina Fernandes said: "Before taking a decision, the local authorities could have called the various communities together to discuss the issue. They do not realize that with their attitude, they risk driving a wedge between the communities".

After the government's refusal, all the Christians could do was to hold a silent procession the streets of Karwar on 2 November. The procession ended in church for a closing prayer. The questions on the lips of members of the community were: "How long will this situation continue?"; "Can we still believe that the Navy will respect the Baithkol cemetery as a place sacred for Christians?" A man present at the ceremony, Jack, expressed concern about the future: "What will we do if some military official decides to destroy the cemetery in the name of the development of the nation?"

Meanwhile, as Fr Machado said, the Karwar diocese "will write a letter to the Indian prime minister to ask for justice".

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