Orissa: 20 Christians arrested while celebrating a baptism
Mumbai (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Attacked and beaten by Hindu nationalists
finally arrested by the local police, because "guilty" of celebrating
a baptism. The
episode took place in Kanthapada, in the district of Balasore (Orissa), against 20 Pentecostal Christians (of these,
10 were catechumens), October 2 last. For
Sajan George, president of the Global
Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), the fact is "outrageous,"
and he demands the chief minister of Orissa "open an investigation into the
police officers involved."
A
large group of Hindu nationalists belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were behind the incident. They broke
into the middle of the ceremony, beating and insulting the minister Jayaram
Marandi and faithful. Shortly
thereafter, police from Khantapada station arrived, forcing the 20 Christians
to get on to a truck, which brought them in for interrogation. After
the arrest, the police deployed a large number of agents to "control"
that the village.
Sajan
George explains: "To harass, intimidate and arrest these Christian
communities, the Hindu nationalists are exploiting the atrocious Orissa Freedom
of Religion Act 1997 [Ofra Act 1997, the anti-conversion law of the State, ed],
with the connivance and tacit consent of both administration and police. " According
to the president of the GCIC, "the state government should stop
persecuting those who use the decree against the population and threaten the
Constitution, which is based on respect for justice and freedom." On
paper, the anti-conversion laws prohibit conversions that occur "through
force, coercion or fraud," and thus allow the government to investigate. In
fact, they are applied only in cases of Hindus who switch to another religion. Since its
implementation, conversions have decreased in number.
After
the anti-Christian
pogrom in Kandhamal (2008), he adds, "the perception of being under
threat grew," because "the presence of the Sangh Parivar [umbrella
that collects all the Hindu nationalist groups and movements, ed] has
grown," bringing with
it "hate campaigns and social boycott against Christians." However,
greatest concern and discouragement regard "the extreme slowness of the
machinery of justice for the victims of the massacres: while the number released
from prison increases, alongside a decrease in convictions, and even those who
have been found guilty get bail." The
most striking case concerns Manoj Pradhan, a member of the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP, ultra-nationalist Hindu party), responsible for the killing of a
Christian leader in the pogrom. Despite
a final sentence of seven years in prison - and trials for three other killings
- the man is free on bail.
Meanwhile,
another attack took place in Orissa has come to the attention of the GCIC. On
24 September in Krutamgarh (Kandhamal district), 12 Hindu activists of the
Bajrang Dal disrupted a prayer service at a Pentecostal Christian community. The
attack was particularly violent and the offenders forced the pastor Mantu Nayak
to the ground and beat him, resulting in serious head injuries and fractures to
both arms. For
the moment, the police have arrested eight activists and are looking for others.
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