Religious Violence: A Challenge to Secular India

 

Dimapur | September 7 : The prayer rally held at the City Tower in Dimapur today to protest the persecution of Christians by Hindu groups, culminated in the drawing up of a memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister of India demanding bigoted organizations like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal be declared as terrorist organizations. The memorandum which was signed by 14 members termed the ongoing violence against Christians as a violation of Human Rights and constitutional rights to the freedom of religion”.
The forum held that the violence masterminded by the VHP and Bajrang Dal, despite evidence indicating Maoists as responsible for murder of Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, was “an attack on the Secular character of the Indian Constitution and a crime against humanity”. Sectarian Hindu group Sangh Parivar’s goondaism is exposed and its divisive politics revealed, the forum said.
Also, the allegations that Christians are converting ‘poor, ignorant tribal – outcasts – amply reveals the contemptuous attitude of the Sangh Parivar against  Christians, the forum said. With this particular state having the oldest-enacted laws to prevent ‘outcasts’ becoming Christians, the forum said if the ‘tribals’ still become Christians, it proves that they may be poor and illiterate, but not ignorant. “If the outcasts have the right to vote, they have the right to choose their faith”, reasoned the Christian Forum of Dimapur.

Demands PM to declare VHP, Bajrang Dal terrorists
The memorandum also stated that the fanatic fringe of the Hindu society, which continues to persecute minority Christians, has justified crime as a reaction to so-called forced conversions. The forum dismissed the bigots’ accusation saying that true Christian concepts do not admit forced conversion because no body can be converted against ones will. “Nagaland is a Christian majority state, and we live in harmony with citizens of other faiths in Dimapur and no one has been forced to become a Christian”, it stated.
The forum also affirmed its trust and commitment to the “cherished values of secularism and pluralistic character” of the nation.Without them, India would perish as a nation, it said. The forum earnestly appeals to the Prime Minister’s office to “act without hesitation against any person or groups who are threatening the secular fabric of our country” and demanded that the VHP and the Bajrang Dal be declared as a terrorist organization.
During the said rally, hundreds of Christians in Dimapur lifted their hands in a symbolic appeal for divine intervention into the ongoing persecution of fellow Christians in Orissa. The prayer rally organized by Christian Forum of Dimapur at City Tower saw believers, regardless of denomination, coming together to pray for believers who are being persecuted by fanatic Hindu organizations. Dr. P. Dozo briefed the gathering on the situation in Orissa and said that the atrocities going on in the state could be taken by every right-thinking citizen as ethnic cleansing. He said the secular and pluralistic character of India has being challenged by the ongoing sectarian violence.
Dr. P. Dozo also questioned the silence of the Hindus in Nagaland saying that they are in minority but the Naga Christians have never persecuted them in any way. Querying if it was not the appropriate time for Hindus in Nagaland and Dimapur to raise their voice against the fundamentalist Hindus in Orissa, Dozo communicated expectation of the Nagas that Dimapur-based Hindus would communicate with the VHP, the governor, the CM, police and World Hindu Federation, the India Government and Delhi to act together simultaneously to bring the violence to and early end.
Later, a mass prayer for Orissa was led by Rev Moses Murry while the vote of thanks was said by Fr. Chacko.