nuary 04, 2008
An Open Letter of the Dalit Christians to Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Indian Parliamentarians and Indian Church Authorities
The Hon’ble Prime Minister,
152, South Block,
New Delhi -110 011
Wish you Happy Christmas and New Year.
For the last several decades, the Indian Church Authorities and its Leaders at National and International level have been subtly pressurizing the Indian Government to make suitable amendments in the Constitution to include converted Dalit Christians in the list of Schedule Castes. Our Constitution founders and framers had seen the validity of assuring equality and respect to Dalit Hindus in their Hindu fold, while they were not clear as to the implications of the same with Dalit Christians. Hence they formulated the provision for Hindu Dalit reservation for Schedule Caste in the Constitution. The Hindu community as a majority of peoples accepted reservations as a just and fair provision. Thus the Indian constitution gave equal right to the Dalit Hindus because they suffered ill treatment and were oppressed in the society over the centuries. It was a fair and just compensation to the Dalit Hindus for the exploitation done to them.
While Dalit Hindus- who were converted to Christianity- lost their privilege of reservation policy and thus they were not included in the list of Schedule Caste. The Converted Dalit Christians had ‘an historic option’ to decide whether to accept their original religion-Hinduism and return to their community and thus avail the facility of Schedule Caste but most of the Dalit Christians forsook the reservation policy and they decided to remain Dalit Christians (DC) mainly because DCs fondly recalled the words of Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt Ch. 11:28)
Over the decades, the Church Authorities and Leaders belittled the faith of DCs., Besides, the Lords of Christendom- the Bishops, had already condescendingly accepted and treated the DCs as low grade Christians- reminiscent of their ‘original stigma’-untouchables. This subtly implied that DCs should never forget who they were and that it is thanks to valiant, foreign missionaries efforts that they still can be treated as second class followers of Christianity. Thus Church Authorities maintained a clear distinction between ‘those of the earlier accepted the Christian faith and thus possessed a superior grade/class and a superior faith’ and those traits should be preserved till reward day of the Master. Keeping this as a background check, the Indian Church Authorities deemed it fit that Dalit Christians remain uneducated lot, and they were not given proper and equal right for gainful employment least they be filled with a false pride of being true Christians. Notice the subtle distinction and statements of Church authorities when it comes to the game of numbers. DCs who form over 70% of the Christians population should be a’ feather in the cap’ of the numerous foreign missionaries who descended in hordes triumphantly dreaming that one day the whole of India would be Christianized.
Further, the line of thinking of Church Authorities can be described thus: DCs ought to get proper compensation in lieu of governmental benefits they lost is ‘an unchristian consideration’- this would spoil ‘their Christian motivation’. Thus, it was clear to the Bishops and Church Authorities that any such talk of compensation made to DCs is unheard of biblical remedy. Hence DCs should remain poor and despicable to as proof of their newly accepted ‘superior faith’. Moreover, the secular Indian Government should be taught a lesson or two -especially the lesson that it is the ‘duty and responsibility’ of the Indian Government to make appropriate provisions for DCs? And that ‘we the Bishops’ if needed, are ready to fight tooth and nail to see that the Indian Government implements and practices what is enshrined in the Constitution of India. The Government should be blamed squarely because they care two hoots for the plight of the DC while they are pampering the other Dalits with innumerable concessions all for political gain. And why should Church Authorities and leaders make suitable provisions for their own least brethren was beyond the comprehension of the great Lords of Christendom.
In just four hundred years the Christian population grew in leaps and bounds, the Indian Church’s with the selfless efforts of foreign missionaries added millions to the zero percentage of Christians in India. But no Church Authority ever even noticed that the plight of those numerous DCs remained the same. Nay over the decades it worsened. Hence what was and is the primary intention of the pious missionaries becomes clear. Indian Church Authorities and Leaders merely used DCs in a game of numbers and scarcely gave a passing thought to improve the living conditions of DC. The DCs were never or rather deliberately kept out mainstream Christianity and thus they were unable to experience progress and growth in their Christian living even though they had full membership in the various Churches.
Notice this fact, when it came to the ‘battle of equal rights for all Dalits’ the Indian Church Authorities deemed it fit to wage a battle with the mind of Constitution founders and framers. And the battle did begin as early as or as soon as India gained independence. In their heart of hearts the Church Authorities and Leaders wanted that DCs to be loyal Christians and remain faithful members of their respective Churches and yet when it came to the matter of improvement in the standard of living, all their sound reasoning and superior faith failed them. Even an ‘ordinary statements of the assets’ of the Indian Churches- like enumerating the thousands of Christians Schools , Colleges and large compounds, and thousands of other allied majestic institutions like Hospitals and other social work Institutes will show the might of Indian Church wealth. It is well known that Indian Church Authorities have wealth ‘second to none’ in terms of immovable assets and finances. And note - this second to none is in comparison with the Government of India.
Besides, in the name of DCs and poor, the Church gets flooded with funds both from within country and from abroad. And most ironical- the condition of DCs remains as poor as the proverbial Church mouse. Do all these the funds instantaneously disappear into the incredible mouth of Bishop Pip? (Please view the Documentary-‘In search of self respect’, produced by PSBT and Prasar Bharti. www.synclinefilms.com. The Mighty Indian Churches have conveniently divided India and with the magical wand of the Pope and other Church Authorities, have created around 250 to 300 dioceses in the country in order to smoothly run and manage their vast properties and institutions. A diocese may have average around fifty thousand followers. Based on their own methods of mission management: aren’t the Indian Church Authorities and Leaders responsible for the sorry state of affair of DCs? Why is the Indian Church constantly harping on the same old tune that Indian secularism is at stake when they themselves like Pilate constantly wash off their hands regarding a sound and just policy of justice for their least brethren- the Dalit Christians( DC)?.
Why are the Church Authorities forcing our Parliamentarians to debate on the scheduled caste status of DCs? It is for all to see who has a hidden agenda. It is for the Church Authorities to honestly provide a ‘white paper’ on their fabulous wealth and what have they done to alleviate the sufferings of the least of their brethren- the Dalit Christians.
To all Indian Bishops
The open letter is now addressed to the Presidents of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India, of the National Council for Churches in India, Church of South India, Anglicans, Methodists, CNI, and all Bishops of all Christian Denominations.
Most Rt. Rev. Bishops,
Happy Christmas and New Year,
Over the last several decades, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, National Council for Churches in India, all the Protestant Churches and all the Christian foreign funding agencies were and are trying their best to amend the legislation of inclusion in Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians. You had several ‘ high level meetings and conferences at National and International level; and you were seen frantically appointing the best legal luminaries to see that DC are included in the list of scheduled caste thus securing a new heaven and a new earth for DCs.
It was reported in the newspapers that your Grace and Lordship have graciously come down to the earth in New Delhi- the National Capital on November 29th 2007. You staged a Dharna for inclusion of DCs into Scheduled Caste status. When your Grace and Lordship, and predecessors converted Dalits from the Hindu society, the main attractions offered to them was that there was no caste discrimination in the Christian society and that they would be treated equally as brothers in Christ. It was with this hope of an ‘egalitarian status’ within the Christian community that the poor Dalits converted themselves to Christianity. If they are still Dalits the question is who has been oppressing them of late, it is true that when they were in the Hindu society they were oppressed by caste system that existed in that society. But was it not a solemn pledge before God and man that these converted Christians would be looked after without any discrimination and with Christian love and sharing?
There is an answer to this question. Obviously, it is the Church Authorities and Leaders who are exploiting the DCs. If only the Church Authorities can spend twenty five per cent of the Church income for the welfare of DCs, surely there will be a great change in the lives of DCs. If only the Church Authorities can give fifty percent of employment in their institutions to the DCs we believe that within ten years, all the DCs will have employment. But alas- the Church Authorities only gives all employment to and give important posts to the priests, nuns etc. Notice that you are creating fatted calves and bestowing on them privileges upon privileges to merely a small class of clergy and superior Christians.
You are seeing the speck in the eyes of Constitution founders and framers but fail to see the mote in your own eyes? For centuries the Church Authorities are merely filling up the barns for a minuscular clergy and pampering them into a parasitical life, while you ignore the cries and agonies of the discriminated DCs. For these very poor, Jesus has said, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captive’s recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the year of remission, reward and restoration. Confer, Luke Chapter 4; 16-19.”
Poor Christian Liberation Movement appeals to the Church Authorities and solemnly asks these questions. Why after converting DCs into the Christian fold you have constantly denied and deprived them of proper education facilities, of just employment, and generous financial support? And why do you not give proper Christian respect for DCs? Why do you not offer equal rights to DCs in the Church life? Why are you constantly using DCs as pawns to show the might of your own Empire and missionary prowess? Why hasn’t the Christian sense of giving compensation to DCs never even once crossed the minds of the all powerful and wealthy Church Authorities? Why are you playing the role of going around the devils ring by leaving DCs to the mercy of Indian Government? Why are you not fulfilling your responsibility toward DCs? You must remember the solemn words spoken to Peter Simon. Jesus said to Peter Simon: “If you love me then take care of my lambs and sheep (St John 21:15-17) .And even St. Paul emphatically said this of himself: that he was imprisoned, that he was beaten many times, faced difficulties, was in odd situations, worked hard, spent sleepless nights, many times without food and water, and besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the congregations. Who is weak and I am not weak? (2 Corinthians Ch 11: 23-29). Can all the Bishops honestly say that they have fulfilled their responsibility towards Dalit Christians?
May the all the respected Bishop dare to say- YES. Amen.
Thank you.
Yours in Christ,
R.L. Francis
National President
And all Executive Members of PCLM
The 'untouchables' of India.
The 'untouchables' of India.
The Wall Street Journal (Sept.19) has published a long report under the title, The 'untouchables', Converts to Christianity face extra bias, by Yaroslav Trofimov. Briefly,he makes the following points :
Under India's constitution Dalits are entitled to affirmative actions - federal government jobs and government-funded universities. These provide escape from traditional occupations - emptying village latrines, burying cow carcases, tanning animal hides. However, these facilities are only for Hindu dalits, not for those who are converted to Islam and Christianity. "The plight of India's secret converts, ignored for decades, is now at the forefront of national politics. Partly, driving the change is Indian Christians' new partnership with Islam, a religion frequently at odds with Christianity elsewhere in the world."
The Ranganath Mishra Commision concluded that Dalits retain their stigma even after converting and recommended scrapping the ban on privileges to non-Hindus."The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination earlier also formally rebuked India for denying affirmative action benefits to Dalit converts Christianity and Islam and recommended that the prohibition be removed."
" The Government of India seems quite sympathetic" to such demands, says Sardar Buta Singh, a minister-level official who heads India's agency which overseeing Dait affairs, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. " All the parties have started thinking about this problem, and it can be solve."
The report further states that the low status of Dalits is the punishment for sins in a previous life, according to Hindu scriptures, and they embraced caste-less religions. It adds, " .. great many Dalits are now turning to Christianity, attracted by benefits like education and health care that are sometimes offered by Western-funded congregations." The report then goes on say, " Much to the dismay of Hindu nationalist groups, the number of India's secret Christians has claimed in recent years to an estimated 25 million people, about the size of the officially registered Christian population."
The vote-bank politics has now global ramifications. An Indian commission urging reservation for converts and then an UN body recommending it, and an international daily high-lighting it. I sent some facts to put the issue in perspective to the newspaper which was not published, not even acknowledged.
The report has missed one important fact of life in India - Christianity and Islam in India are as caste-ridden as Hinduism. In spite of professing egalitarianism by these religions, many Christians and Muslim do not inter-marry. “In many Churches in Tamil Nadu, Harijans were seperated from the rest of the congregation by a screen. ..Special parts of the cemeteries were set apart for them.." This is from the book, The Defeat of a Congresman ,by the famous BBC correspondent of yesteryears Mark Tully (Alfred A.Knoff,New York, 1991, see pages 63 &64 for more details).
This is what R.L.Francis, President of Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) has said, " On the one hand, the Church demands reservation for Dalit Christians from the government while on the other, it opposes and refuses to provide reservation in the Church structure." Missionaries have been the pioneers in introducing modern education in India and have a large number of educational institutions including medical and engineering colleges.
Contrary to what the author says, there is no scriptural sanction for caste system and the practice of untouchability in Hindu scriptures. Gita and Upanishads, the great scriptures of Hindus, proclaim that man is the spark of the Divine. Valmiki, the saint-poet who wrote Ramayana, was a hunter. Krishna, incarnation of God, was cow-herd. The caste system which started off as the division of labour solidified into rigid social structure due to the repeated invasions of India for almost a thousand years. Author has also not noticed the changes that have occurred in India since Independence. India had a Dalit President and many dalits have been ministers in the central and state governments. Almost 25 percent of the sweepers in the public rest-rooms in Delhi are Brahmins.
What Dalits and the poor in India require is education to empower them and not reservation or charity. This is where the government has failed them. The government is more bothered about the 'commanding heights' of the economy than serving the poor. Of course, the Church has not done much for the poor or dalits.
Friday, November 09, 2007
The Wall Street Journal
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Dalit Christians are fighting for their legitimate rights and privileges provided for the Dalits by the Constitution of India. As Dalits, these Christians belong to the ancient indigenous people of the land, yet they have to struggle for their basic right to live as human beings.
EQUALITY IN STATE AND SOCIETY
As a step towards equality, the Constitution of India has provided the Dalits with compensatory discrimination or affirmative action, but since 1950 the Government of India has deprived Christian Dalits of such rights. So most Dalit Christians are economically poor, educationally backward, politically powerless and socially outcaste. For this reason the Dalit Christians demand that the Indian Government restore their legitmate rights and cease to discriminate against them on grounds of religion.
Inclusion in the Scheduled Castes
Dalit Christians should be accorded the same reservation and welfare benefits that are granted to the Scheduled Castes professing the Hindu, Sikh, and Neo-Buddhist religions under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 as, amended in 1956 and 1990. The Dalit Christians should be given the Scheduled Caste status and privileges so that they can enjoy the same political rights and socio-economic benefits as all other Scheduled Castes.
Definition of the Scheduled Caste
The expression 'Scheduled Castes' was used for those people who were kept outside the fourfold Varna (caste) system, and were called Avarnas (casteless). They were called by different names such as: Chandalas, Panchamas or Untouchables. The term "Scheduled Caste" was used by the British Government to designate all castes and classes previously covered under the term "Depressed Classes". Officially this word was embodied in Section 305 of the Government of India Act, 1935, . Later the expression was included in the Government of India (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1936.
The Indian Constitution, Article 366
"Scheduled Caste" means such castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purposes of this Constitution.
The Indian Constitution, on the basis of its Article 341 (1) only empowers the President of india to specify the castes, races or tribes or parts or groups within castes that can be deemed to be Scheduled Castes. It is then the role of Parliament to make law concerning the groups thus designated .
Article 341, Scheduled Castes
The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in relation to that State or Union territory, as the case may be.
In 1950, while exercising the powers conferred on him in Article 341 (1), the President of India promulgated an order known as The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. This Order of 1950 continued to use the same list used in the Government of India (Schedled Castes) Order of 1936. The third paragraph of the 1950 Order reads:-
Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph 2, no person who professes a religion different from Hindu shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.
This third Paragraph was amended in 1956 and in 1990 in favor of Sikh and Buddhist Dalits.
AMENDMENT OF 1956 IN FAVOR OF DALIT SIKHS
Following agitation by Master Tara Singh, the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Act, providing for inclusion of Dalit Sikhs in the list of the Scheduled Castes, was passed in 1956. It said:-
"Notwithstanding anything contained in para 2, no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu or Sikh religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste."
AMENDMENT OF 1990 IN FAVOR OF DALIT BUDDHISTS
In May 1990, to commemerate the centenary of the birth of Dr. Ambedkar, Prime Minister V.P.Singh brought Dalits who converted to Buddhism into the list of Scheduled Castes . He made representations to Parliament that this change of religion , from Hindu to Buddhist , had not altered their social , economic or educational conditions. The same should be acknowledged in the case of Dalits who become Christians.
"Notwithstanding anything contained in para 2, no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu, the Sikh or the Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste."
Absolute Need for Amendment in Favor of Dalit Christians
Today Dalit Christians are asking only for their fundamental rights. Dalit Christians belong to the same caste and undergo the same age-old torment and oppression as other Dalits.. Dalit Christians live under the same system of oppression, deprived of justice and human dignity.
The economic condition of Dalit converts is in no way different from that of their counterparts - the Dalits who are not converts. Dalit Christians suffer from a high incidence of atrocities and economic and social disabilities owing to the government's reluctance to modify its discriminatory policy on reservation.
Christians feel that this religion-based discrimination is in violation of Article 15 (1) and contravenes the provisions of Article 15 (4) of the Constitution of India. Constitutional principles prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
At stake is the fate of 19 million Dalit Christians, who form 70% of the Indian Christians. In the whole country, Indian Christians total 25 million. They are not asking for any expansion of the Scheduled Caste list or any increase in the reservation quota. They only want to be included in the present list. This can be done by introducing a new bill in Parliament.
IN AN article titled "Where Caste oppression mocks the Constitution" published in The Hindu (June 24, 2005), D. Raja, a Communist Party of India leader, tried to draw our attention to the failure of the Constitution to ensure that Dalits could become panchayat presidents in some villages in Tamil Nadu. That is not the only area where the Constitution has failed Dalits. It continues to fail a section of Dalits because they follow a religion of their choice — a right guaranteed by the same Constitution. For more than five decades, the demand of Dalit Christians for equal rights on a par with other Dalits has gone unheard.
The usual argument posed against the extension of reservation to Dalit Christians is that there is no caste system in Christianity. This is right. Christianity does not preach any caste discrimination. But the situation in India is different. Our society is based on the caste system. From cradle to grave, caste considerations rule the roost. Dalits of all religions live in the same society ruled by caste values. A change of religion does not alter the socio-economic status of Dalits. The social stigma and ostracism in society continue to haunt them wherever they go. A Dalit is considered untouchable, irrespective of the religious faith he or she may profess. As for atrocities, there is no discrimination between a Hindu Dalit and a Christian Dalit.
The point in contention is an order by the President of India. The third paragraph of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, popularly known as the Presidential Order, stipulates that "no person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Caste." Even a cursory reading of the Order reveals its discriminatory nature. By restricting the benefits to a particular religion, the Order has divided the entire Dalit community on the basis of religion. Instead of caste and socio-economic backwardness being the criterion for reservation, the linkage of caste and religion is treated as the crux of the problem.
The Order violates the letter and spirit of many articles of our Constitution. Article 15 says: "The State shall not discriminate against any citizen only on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them." But here we see the state itself discriminating on the basis of religion within a given caste group. Article 25 reads: "... all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion." But the Order denies the freedom of religion to Dalits. In fact, it amounts to forced inducement or allurement by the state by offering constitutional protection and privileges to Dalits in order to stay in a religion and by punishing them by withdrawing the same benefits if they dared to profess a religion of their choice.
Again, this discrimination deprives Christian Dalits of the right to seek civil protection and safeguards provided to all Dalits under the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1976, the Untouchability (Offences) Act 1955, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. That is, if a Dalit Hindu woman and a Dalit Christian woman are both molested in caste or communal violence, these laws will come to the help of the Dalit Hindu woman, but not of the Dalit Christian woman. Thus the Order is a blatant violation and denial of human rights of a citizen under our Constitution as well as under Article 2, 3 and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, to which India is a signatory.
Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court has categorically established the fact that a change of religion does not change caste and that the disabilities of the Scheduled Castes converted to Christianity continue even after conversion, on a par with the Dalits in other religions. Some of the passages are worth noting:
"... to deny them [Dalit Christians] the constitutional protection of reservation solely by reason of change of faith or religion is to endanger the very concept of Secularism and the raison d'etre of reservations." (Art. 271 of the Mandal Case Judgment. Cfr. Page No. 367, Vol. 6. No. 9, Nov. 30, 1992, Judgment Today.)
"So sadly and oppressively deep-rooted is caste in our country that it has cut across even the barriers of religions ... The caste system has penetrated other religions and dissenting Hindu sects to whom the practice of caste should be anathema and today we find that practitioners of other religious faith and Hindu dissentients are sometimes as rigid adherents to the system of caste as the conservative Hindus. We find Christian Dalit, Christian Nadars, Christian Reddys, Christian Kammas, Mujbi Sikhs etc... " (Art. 469, Mandal Case Judgments. Page 450. Vol. 6, No. 9, Nov. 30, 1992, Judgment Today.)
"... The change of religion did not always succeed in eliminating castes. The converts carried with them their castes and occupations to the new religions. The result has been that even among Sikhs, Muslims and Christians casteism prevails in varying degrees in practice, their preachings notwithstanding. Casteism has thus been the base of entire Indian society, the difference in its rigidity being of a degree varying from religion to religion." (Art. 400, Mandal Case Judgment Vol 6, No. 9, Nov. 30, 1992, Judgment Today). All these observations directly point to the discriminatory nature of the Order.
Besides the Supreme Court, the Minority Commission recommended extension of reservations: " ... since the Christians, Muslims and Buddhists of Scheduled Caste origin continue to suffer from social and economic disabilities even after their conversion, there should be no objection to their availing of the concessions admissible to them before conversion." (Third Annual Report of the Minorities Commission, New Delhi 1980 Page 31.)
Although Christians form a minority (2.4 per cent) in India, the majority among them (about 65 per cent) belong to the Dalit communities. Their socio-economic status is not different from that of the general Dalit population in India, and their demand for equal rights is not without precedence. It should be noted that the Presidential Order was amended twice: in 1956 to include Sikh Dalits, and again in 1990 to include Neo-Buddhists.
In 1990, Parliament pleaded with virtual unanimity for equal justice to Scheduled Caste Christians along with Scheduled Caste Neo-Buddhists. During the budget session, a Bill to amend the Order and include Dalit Christians was introduced along with the Bill to include Neo-Buddhists. On an assurance by Ram Vilas Paswan, then the Union Minister for Welfare, that a Bill to extend the statutory benefits to Scheduled Caste Christians would be introduced at the next opportunity, the Bill to extend statutory benefits to Neo-Buddhists was passed unanimously.
On June 17, 1992, during the National Convention on Socio-economic and Political Status of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Parliamentary Forum of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes unanimously resolved to demand that the Government of India should put an end to the discrimination against Scheduled Caste Christians by introducing a Bill during the monsoon session of Parliament.
Persistent requests from the Christian community through rallies, dharnas, and delegations finally led to the preparation of the draft Bill for amendment in March 1996, when Sitaram Kesri was the Welfare Minister. But owing to some procedural lapse, the Bill was not taken up for discussion. After the United Progressive Alliance Government came to power in May 2004, requests have been made to the Prime Minister to revive the bill and amend the Order.
In reply to the Supreme Court (August 23, 2005) on the current PIL seeking the deletion of the discriminatory third para of the Order, the Attorney General said the Government had instituted a Commission to study the issue. But several Commissions appointed by various governments have already studied the issue and recommended extension of statutory benefits to Dalit Christians. Any further Commission on this issue is unnecessary, unwarranted, and clearly an attempt to delay a decision. Instead, the UPA Government headed by the Congress Party has the moral obligation to complete the task initiated in 1996 by immediately tabling the Bill in Parliament and rendering justice to the suffering Dalit Christians.
Economic development and social oppression cannot go together. A welfare government should aim at the development of all sections of the people of the nation. Excluding a section, Dalits, from the process of development, just because they are Christians, will be a drag on the process of development and a stigma on the whole nation.
The demand for equal rights to Dalit Christians was forcefully raised at the first meeting of the reconstituted National Integration Council in New Delhi on August 31, 2005. It was subsequently supported by several party leaders and eminent jurists. We earnestly hope that good sense will prevail over the Government and this historical anomaly will soon be corrected.
(Dr. A.M. Chinnappa is the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore and Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India's Commission for SC/ST/BC. A. Philomin Raj is the National Secretary of the Commission
One of the most venerated of con, temporary sacred cows is Mother Teresa of Calcutta--the Albanian nun whose only proclaimed wish is "to serve God." In The Missionary Position (Verso, 98 pp., $12.95), British writer Christopher Hitchens performs the useful task of sticking a pin into her overinflated balloon. Hitchens shows that Mother Teresa is "a religious fundamentalist, a political operative, a primitive sermonizer, and an accomplice of worldly secular powers," as well as "the emissary of a very determined and very politicized papacy." According to the author, she treats the poor not so much as people in need but as the instruments of her work in "a fundamentalist religious campaign" and "on occasion for piety."
Hitchens further states that Mother Teresa has taken in "hoards of money" for which there is no public accounting, runs "a haphazard and cranky institution {in Calcutta} which would expose itself to litigation and protest were it run by any branch of the medical profession," and tolerates no "questioning of authority" within her religious order. Although she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Hitchens wonders what she "had ever done, or even claimed to do, for the cause of peace." Quite to the contrary, he points out, by her all-out opposition to abortion rights and family planning, she has been an obstacle to peace. He marvels at the fact that Mother Teresa's "Missionaries of Charity have for decades been the recipients of the extraordinary largesse of governments, large foundations, corporations, and private citizens."
Hitchens concludes this fascinating and eminently readable book with: "There is no conceit equal to false modesty ... no worldliness to compare with ostentatious otherworldliness."
It is too bad that the undeserving and overrated Mother Teresa reaps such a rich harvest of adulation and fame while the far more valuable work of organizations of humanists, rationalists, and atheists in India--which have improved human rights while opposing superstition--is little known or appreciated outside the country.
On a more positive note--and better late than never--I highly recommend Howard Radest's The Devil and Secular Humanism (The Humanist Institute, 2 West 64th Street, New York, NY 10023; 171 pp., $17.00). Dean emeritus of the Humanist Institute, former director of the Ethical Culture Fieldstone Schools, and founder and chair of Columbia's Seminar on Moral Education, Radest has long been one of our leading humanist philosophers and thinkers.
In this excellent book (I liked every, thing about it except the title), Radest explores the roots of modern humanism, examines its diversity, and frankly discusses its shortcomings. These short, comings, he shows, have to do not with any defects in humanist philosophy but, rather, with how humanists and humanist organizations present themselves to the world. Even if there were no humanist organizations, he writes, there would still be a vast number of humanists and humanism would still be an important and viable life-stance (or, dispensing with false modesty, the most rational life-stance). The big problem for the humanist movement, Radest explains, is to learn how to harmonize strong individualism and skepticism with the budding of effective organizations that serve the intellectual, emotional, and ethical needs of individuals, families, and communities.
Mother Teresa
In fighting for the dignity of the destitute in a foreign land, she gave the world a moral example that bridged divides of culture, class and religion
By BHARATI MUKHERJEE
Dubious Influences: Century's Villains and Antiheroes
Five Captivating Romances: When Love Was the Adventure
Monday, June 14, 1999
The Bengali chauvinist in me got a thrill: "This is Peter Jennings, tonight live from Calcutta." For the first and only time in my life, the great city I was born and raised in hit the big time. Bengalis love to celebrate their language, their culture, their politics, their fierce attachment to a city that has been famously "dying" for more than a century. They resent with equal ferocity the reflex stereotyping that labels any civic dysfunction anywhere in the world "another Calcutta." And why were the American media in Calcutta? For the funeral of an 87-year-old Albanian immigrant by the name of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. In this era of "ethnic cleansing," identity politics and dislocation of communities, it is heartening that one of the most marginalized people in recent history — a minority Albanian inside Slavic Macedonia, a minority Roman Catholic among Muslims and Orthodox Christians — should find a home, citizenship and acceptance in an Indian city of countless non-Christians. She blurred the line between insider and outsider that so many today are trying to deepen.
Bojaxhiu was born of Roman Catholic Albanian parents in 1910 in Shkup (now Skopje), a town that straddled the ethnic, linguistic, religious and geological fault line in the then Turkish province, later Yugoslav republic, now absurdly unnameable independent state of FYROM (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). When she was seven, her father was murdered. Bojaxhiu chose emigration over political activism and at the age of 18 entered the Sisters of Loreto's convent in Ireland as a novice. The Sisters of Loreto, a teaching order, sent her to Bengal in 1929. She spoke broken English and had yet to take her first vows
I first saw Mother Teresa in the summer of 1951, when I started school at Loreto House in Calcutta. The school was run by the Sisters of Loreto according to directives sent from its principal convent in Ireland. During the British raj, Loreto House had admitted very few Indians. By the time I became a student there, the majority of students were Hindu Bengalis, the daughters of Calcutta's elite families, but the majority of teachers continued to be Irish-born nuns. Mother Teresa was no longer affiliated with the Sisters of Loreto, but she came around to our campus every now and then. She had left teaching at another of the Sisters' schools three years before in order to, as she put it, "follow Christ into the slums." The break, as far as we schoolgirls could tell, had not been totally amicable, at least not on the part of the Loreto nuns.
The picture of Mother Teresa that I remember from my childhood is of a short, sari-wearing woman scurrying down a red gravel path between manicured lawns. She would have in tow one or two slower-footed, sari-clad young Indian nuns. We thought her a freak. Probably we'd picked up on unvoiced opinions of our Loreto nuns. We weren't quite sure what an Albanian was except that she wasn't as fully European as our Irish nuns. Or perhaps she seemed odd to us because we had never encountered a nun who wore a sari. There was only one Anglo-Indian nun in our school, and she wore the customary habit. The government had made antimissionary noises but hadn't yet cracked down on missionaries' visa applications.
In the early '50s, we non-Christian students at Loreto House were suspicious of Mother Teresa's motives in helping street children and orphans. Was she rescuing these children to convert them? Her antiabortion campaigns among homeless women were as easy for us to ignore as were the antiabortion lectures our nuns delivered twice weekly. The government had made even very young women aware of the consequences of population explosion.
But the project of Mother Teresa's that confused us most was her care of the terminally ill destitute who came to the Kalighat Temple to die near a holy place. She wasn't interested in prolonging their life. What she railed against was the squalor and loneliness of their last hours. Her apparent dread of mortality and her obsession with dignified dying were at odds with Hindu concepts of reincarnation and death as a hoped-for release from maya, the illusory reality of worldly existence.
It wasn't until she had set up a leprosarium outside Calcutta on land provided by the government that I began to see her as an idealist rather than an eccentric. Lepers were a common sight all over India and in every part of Calcutta, but extending help beyond dropping a coin or two into their rag-wrapped stumps was not. As a child I was convinced even touching a spot a leper had rubbed against would lead to infection. The ultimate terror the city held had nothing to do with violence. It was fear of the Other, the poor, the dying--or to evoke a word with biblical authority — the pestilential. And so I could no longer be cynical about her motives. She wasn't just another Christian proselytizer. Her care of lepers changed the mind of many Calcuttans. Young physicians, one of them the uncle of a classmate, began to sign up as volunteers. It all made Mother Teresa seem less remote. The very people whom she had deserted when she broke with the Loreto nuns were now seeking her out.
I left Calcutta as a teenager and did not return to live there for any length of time until 1973. The Calcutta I went back to was vociferously in love with Mother Teresa. The women I had been close to in Loreto House, women who in the '70s had become socialite wives and volunteer social workers, were devoted to Mother Teresa and her projects, especially the leprosarium. Years later, I learned that the volunteer Mother Teresa came to rely on was a Loreto House graduate.
It is the fate of moral crusaders to be vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy or have the arbitrary selectiveness of their campaigns held against them. Mother Teresa's detractors have accused her of overemphasizing Calcuttans' destitution and of coercing conversion from the defenseless. In the context of lost causes, Mother Teresa took on battles she knew she could win. Taken together, it seems to me, the criticisms of her work do not undermine or topple her overall achievement. The real test might be, Did she inspire followers, skeptics and even opponents to larger acts of kindness or greater visions of possibility? If the church demands hard evidence of a miracle for sainthood, the transformation of many hearts might make the strongest case.
Bharati Mukherjee's novels include Jasmine, The Holder of the World and Leave It to Me The usually peaceful state of Karnataka has seen an alarming rise in the number of attacks on the minority Christian community.
A mob of 200 activists from extremist groups, the Hindu Jagarana Vedike and the Shiva Sainya youth association attacked the house of Pastor Premkumar in Davangere town on 12 August. The police detained eleven people over the incident, including four women.
According to Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), a Christian advocacy group based in Bangalore, the attackers have formed smaller groups and travelled to the homes of independent pastors and evangelists all over the region, threatening them to stop holding church services.
The GCIC said that the small Christian community in the area had been terrorised by extremists, and that pastors were fleeing to escape the persecution. According to the group, police officials are advising Christians to leave the area.
Last week, students from a Bible college in Turvekere were attacked by an extremist mob who allegedly injured some of them before taking them to the police, where they were reportedly ill-treated.
Kanakapura taluk in Kodipura village witnessed an attack on a Christian prayer meeting instigated by Hindu radicals, who also shouted anti-Christian slogans.
"A mob of nearly 10-15 extremists barged into the church, abused the pastor and made false accusations of forcible conversions," the GCIC quoted him as saying.
The GCIC said some of the men had been arrested by the police.
On 10 August, members of an 80-strong congregation were left injured when Hindu radicals attacked their church.
The police have agreed to provide security during the church services and have also arrested six people in connection with the attack.
On the same day, two pastors in another village were reportedly stripped and tied to a car for evangelising in the area. Hindu radicals are again believed to be behind the attack.
As attacks on the Christian community continue to escalate in the state, GCIC is appealing to churches and Christians to pray for the victims and for law and order to prevail.
The group has also asked India’s president to force state authorities to do more to protect the Christian minority.
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Added: Friday, September 19, 2008, 23:45 (BST)
MR.Bangalore dude!!!!
what are u trying to prove???? u want proof from reporter benjamin yeh?????? this attack was going on since 7 days,and if u had switched on any channel u would have seen the actaul proof.if u have time to see these blogs, then u must have seen these attacks on christians somewhere, but you want to ignore it just to boast that you are a hindu.come down to mangalore and see if u want more proof. do you think without proof central government will warn karnataka govt of section 356 which is president rule?????? common man, accept the truth.by just ignoring the truth you can not hide the truth.
for ur info nobody is converting anyone. come down to mangalore and see by urself in all orphanages,oldage centres etc,you will find 70% hindus there. and they are still hindus nobody has converted them.because we just live our life as christ said. help oneanother and love oneanother.when we do that some hindus like u can not see it, you feel we are converting.buddy we dont convert people ,we give our lord jesus christ in your heart.so that you will be permanently loved by him. and we do it by our works.if we give food to those who is hungry,is it conversion??????? if we give clothes to those who are naked is it conversion???? if we love those ,who have been thrown out of their houses, is it conversion????? my brother those people are your own brother and sisters.do not bring religion here.
we love our hindu brothers and sisters,because of bajrangdal,vhp,bjp i can not say that all hindus are like that.we have been living with them without any problem,but some people cant see that also.they dont want hindu and christian live together, they can t see christian- muslim live together. my dear friend if u see the origin of all terrorists are hindutwa??? dont feel bad when i say this.because if u come and attack my brother and sisters infront of my eyes i will also become terrorist.today so many people are dying of bomb blast because somebody broke babri masjid few years back.
tody those same people come and brake our churches, we definately feel bad,because its our worship place. you may be thinking christians are quiet they cant fight. i will call such a person a fool. because once again i remind you we follow christ,who himself did not do anything ,didnot hurt anybody even when he was killed. we also can brake ur temples, and i bet nobady can stop us.if those bajrangis have blood ,we also have blood. today if all of ur temples are intact in mangalore because we dont hurt peoples sentiments, we christians dont play with others feelings.because we have been taught since childhood that jesus lives in your heart,by braking churches ,statues nobody can take our christ from our heart.when u hit a christian his faith will increase,we never loose because christ is with us.because jesus said you can only see me through sufferings.so buddy we love to suffer for christ. he will come soon,and all the people will know jesus is the son of true god.
iam sorry if i have hurted anyone by my comments
kevin
KEVIN, mangalore
Added: Friday, September 19, 2008, 19:44 (BST)
Praise The Lord
I pray that the LORD opens the eyes of the people, that they may know the Truth,
“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. John 8:32
I want to ask two questions to all who have taken the responsibility for all the damages, destruction
to the Christians?
1) If you die where will you go? (Heaven/hell)
If you think, what you have been taught in this world that if you do good you will receive good,
Presume what you have been doing (called good), will it lead you to heaven?
and if so, at the gate of Heaven you see God standing, and asks you,
“Why should I let you in to My Heaven”?
2) What will you answer?
Will you tell Him
1) “Lord for You I have stopped people from preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
2) “Lord for You I have stoned people who were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
3) “Lord for You I have Burned the Churches, for they were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
4) “Lord for You I have Burned people alive for they were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
5) “Lord for You I have Killed people for they were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.
“Lord because this is the teaching they were giving from the BIBLE to the people …..
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men. 1Timothy2:5
Jesus said “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life.” John 14:6
Jesus said “No one comes to the Father except through Me”. John 14:6
Jesus Said “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, They follow me, I give then eternal life and no one can snatch them from My hand”. John 10:27
“No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” John 3:13 – Jesus Christ himself.
Jesus said “So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time”. Mark 13:23
God Said “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge”. Hosea 4:6
“Believe in Lord Jesus Christ and be Saved – you and your household”. Acts 16:31
What do you think; will GOD say to you, so called Religious people?
I want you to ask a question to your self, will this Killings and Destruction be accepted by God?
Did God tell you to do this, Killing people, Destroying Churches?
My Bible says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” John 10:10
This is what our LORD Jesus taught us “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters,
Love and peace be with you forever,
We give Glory to GOD
We worship true and living GOD
“You will be too blessed to be stressed”
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution
is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.
God Bless You,
Bro. Alex Dhanvate
India
Bro. Alex Dhanvate, India
Added: Friday, September 19, 2008, 7:40 (BST)
Christian are not converting but they are spreading the good news, peace, prosperity, blessing and the truth to all kind of people though they are good are bad, rich or poor doesn't matter they must know the way of living.
Know one can say this is convertion if you could able to understand what is the peace, people loves this way and they themselves converts.
No christians are carring weapon or sword to convert the people like you peoples doing now.
I just want to tell you one more thing we are the christians loves all the people of the earth even our enimes as ou god Jesus told as to do. We want you to know the truth not the convertion.
Remila, Bangalore
Added: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 6:57 (BST)
It is true that Christians in India are being persecuted on the false charge that they "forcibly" convert people of other faiths into Christians. There is no point arguing with these attackers who worship the monkey god. I do not expect better behavior from worshipers of animals.
And regarding the question of fleeing persecution or filing complaints at police stations, we Christians are not afraid of persecution. At the most, we will be killed. We follow Jesus Christ who defeated death and therefore, we do not consider death to be a final defeat. If Christ was crucified, we do not expect better treatment from the people of this world. As long as we live, we will proclaim the rise Lord Jesus.
Hindu leaders proclaim their religion in the West. I was once stopped on the streets of Oxford by a Hindu "missionary" from India. He wanted me to listen to Hindu teachings! I have seen some Americans spreading Hinduism on the streets of Bangalore. No one has any complaints about these! If Christians should flee to Vatican for refuge, then let all Hindus leave India to the ancient animists and go to the Indus valley from where they came!
Philip P Eapen, Cochin, India
Added: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 6:58 (BST)
First thing I do not agree that some one can be forced to convert to anything unless there is a gun on the throat/or a sword in the hand (now as we see in Orissa/MP/Karanata by the Hindu Activists). Even if a person says he is converted once the gun/sword is removed he will turn back to his religion, since he has not done this (so called conversion) whole heartedly.
Can any one show/share if that was done by/from the Christian pastors/believers using a gun or sword.
Also I have seen a lot of comments across the sites that poor people are converted. I know there are a lot of Doctors/Engineers/Teachers who follow Christ. I do not think they are poor. It is all that the individual person's perspective. If you understand the love of Jesus, you will be true Christian. No one needs to convert you.
Milton, USA
Added: Monday, September 15, 2008, 6:33 (BST)
Who's the real Hindu??????
Karan Thapar/Hindustan Times
Does the VHP have the right to speak for you or I? Do they reflect our views? Do we endorse their behaviour? They call themselves the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, but who says they represent all of us? This Sunday morning, I want to draw a clear line of distinction between them and everyone else. My
hunch is many of you will agree.
Let me start with the question of conversion — an issue that greatly exercises the VHP. I imagine there are hundreds of millions of Hindus who are
peaceful, tolerant, devoted to their faith, but above all, happy to live alongside Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Jews. If any one
of us were to change our faith how does it affect the next man or woman? And even if that happens with inducements, it can only prove that the
forsaken faith had a tenuous and shallow hold. So why do the VHP and its unruly storm troopers, the Bajrang Dal, froth at the mouth if you, I or our
neighbours convert? What is it to do with them?
Let me put it bluntly, even crudely. If I want to sell my soul — and trade in my present gods for a new lot — why shouldn't I? Even if the act
diminishes me in your eyes, it's my right to do so. So if thousands or even millions of Dalits, who have been despised and ostracised for
generations, choose to become Christian, Buddhist or Muslim, either to escape the discrimination of their Hindu faith or because some other has
lured them with food and cash, it's their right.
Arguably you may believe you should ask them to reconsider, although I would call that interference, but you certainly have no duty or right to stop them. In fact, I doubt if you are morally correct in even seeking to place obstacles in their way. The so-called Freedom of Religion Acts, which aim
to do just that, are, in fact, tantamount to obstruction of conversion laws and therefore, at the very least, questionable.
However, what's even worse is how the VHP responds to this matter. Periodically they resort to violence including outright murder. What happened to
Graham Staines in Orissa was not unique. Last week it happened again. Apart from the utter and contemptible criminality of such behaviour, is this
how we Hindus wish to behave? Is this how we want our faith defended? Is this how we want to be seen? I have no doubt the answer is no. An
unequivocal, unchanging and ever-lasting NO!
The only problem is it can't be heard. And it needs to be. I therefore believe the time has come for the silent majority of Hindus — both those who ardently practice their faith as well as those who were born into it but may not be overtly religious or devout — to speak out. We cannot accept the desecration of churches, the burning to death of innocent caretakers of orphanages, the storming of Christian and Muslim hamlets even if these acts
are allegedly done in defence of our faith. Indeed, they do not defend but shame Hinduism. That's my central point.
I'm sorry but when I read that the VHP has ransacked and killed I'm not just embarrassed, I feel ashamed. Never of being hindu but of what some
Hindus do in our shared faith's name.
This is why its incumbent on Naveen Patnaik, Orissa's Chief Minister, to take tough, unremitting action against the VHP and its junior wing, the
Bajrang Dal. This is a test not just of his governance, but of his character. And I know and accept this could affect his political survival. But
when it's a struggle between your commitment to your principles and your political convenience is there room for choice? For ordinary politicians,
possibly, but for the Naveen I know, very definitely not.
So let me end by saying: I'm waiting, Naveen. In fact, I want to say I'm not alone. There are hundreds of millions of Hindus, like you and me,
waiting silently — but increasingly impatiently. Please act for all of us.
For any comments you can send it to Karan(HT)
Prasanna Dayala, Bangalore
Added: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 12:58 (BST)
First of all, the reporter, Mr Benjamin provides no proof of any such attack. The Indian media is usually vigilant about these issues and reports them quite fast. News travels faster in India these days.
Second, there is no proof of any such attack. Neither has the pastors filed any complaint at the local police station, nor have any of the Hindu radical groups Mr Benjamin mentions even existent.
It appears that Mr Benjamin is playing a hoax and lying about the attack so that Christian groups in faraway western lands could give him more $$$.
Another fraudster trying to dupe innocent Christians in the west.
Bangalore Dude, Bangalore
Added: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 4:03 (BST)
Hi John and Gus,
I appriciate your comments. We hindus are peace loving people. We never force any one to adopt to Hinduism. We live and we will let other religions to live with us. That is why we have more than 1000 religions in india. We have thousonds of different cultures, but, still we live together as one nation. That shows our peaceful nature. But, when things are going wrong again and agian, and when we found more and more muslims and Christians are forcing lower class hindus to convert to their religions, then the frustration breaks. India is the only country where people give respect to minorities.
Bala, Bangalore
Added: Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 9:12 (BST)
Gus thats the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard: "why are we attempting new grounds and create a divisive atmosphere". Christ gave every believer the mandate to go and make disciples of all nations - not to go make disciples where its easy or where the people are all nice or already believe!!! the reason why there is division is because peoples hearts are closed and they dont want to hear the truth of the gospel. The Bible itself shows there will always be division and opposition wherever the gospel appears (Christ was executed for proclaiming the gospel remember?!) That's what happened right the way down God's history, and guess what, the gospel has flourished in that environment. "Let us live and let them live..." The only true life comes not from the physical body being alive but when we have spiritual life in Jesus Christ. The only way that can happen is when someone takes the gospel to them and lets them hear it. As the apostle Paul says, how can they believe if they have not heard? Sorry Gus, we've got to go even where we are not welcome and testify even when that creates divisions. Anyone wanting to be a true disciple of Christ should get used to that fact and have more faith that God is able to do all things in the way that He thinks best.
Jamie, Cardiff
Added: Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 4:00 (BST)
I think Christians and Muslims are the true extremists...remember the Goa inquisition?..do u see Hindu priests going en masse to the shore of Europe bribing people to join Hinduism....this is just a natural backlash...all you pathetic Indian christians should move to the vatican...maybe the Pope will accept you
John, Ottawa, Canada
Added: Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 1:57 (BST)
We have enough christians around the globe, we need to take care of them...why are we attempting new grounds and create a divisive environment. In india there are various leaflets or doc. criticizing local religion is being published ..then this is going to create a wider rift.
Let us live and let them live.
Gus, McLan, VA
New Delhi, Sep 15 - Attacks on pastors and prayer halls were reported from different parts of the country Monday as one more body was found in Orissa's volatile Kandhamal district taking the death toll in the state to 24.
Schools and shops remained shut and vehicles kept off the roads in the coastal Karnataka city of Mangalore Monday following group clashes and demonstrations by Christian groups to protest attacks on them Sunday by right wing Hindu groups.
In Kerala, a missionary school that doubled up as a temporary church was attacked in Kasargod district, police said Monday.
In Uttar Pradesh, two pastors were allegedly attacked in Kanpur district, while a Bajrang Dal leader accused them of beating his supporters, police said.
In Orissa, a dead body was recovered from Krutamgarh village in Kandhamal district where security forces fired at a mob Saturday evening to prevent them from attacking Christian residents.
The police had initially said that two people were killed in the firing, a figure that has now been revised to three. With this, 24 people have been killed in communal clashes that broke out last month after Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, a central advisory committee member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad -, and four others were shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his Jalespata Ashram in Kandhamal district.
Police suspect Maoist rebels killed them but some Hindu groups blamed Christians for the murder and went on the rampage. Christian groups have repeatedly denied the allegation.
Speaking about the situation in Karnataka's coastal city Mangalore Monday, a senior police officer said: 'The city is tense. Groups of people are indulging in throwing stones at each other at a few places.
'We are trying to control the situation and at one or two places we lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowds,' he added.
Christians gathered at prayers halls in the bustling commercial centre, about 350 km from Karnataka capital Bangalore, to protest attack on churches and prayer halls.
The police official said stones were pelted at police personnel from inside a prayer hall complex in the city.
There have been attacks on a couple of Christian prayer halls in the rich coffee plantation district of Chikmagalur and the central Karnataka district of Davangere earlier this month, the attackers alleging that the churches were enticing Hindus to convert to Christianity.
The Kerala incident follows attacks Sunday on 10 churches by suspected Bajrang Dal activists in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka that neighbour Kasargod.
'The attack must have taken place Sunday night or early Monday morning,' the vicar of St. Joseph's Catholic Church Punnoor Antony told IANS.
The church authorities found the windowpanes of the school smashed apart from some other damage.
As the church was under renovation, regular mass was being offered at Jayamatha School nearby.
'We closed the school after prayers Sunday evening. It was this morning we noticed the damage,' Antony said.
'It could be the act of some mischief mongers, who wanted to create panic here,' said Ramdas Pothan, Kasargod district superintendent of police.
In Uttar Pradesh, the two pastors and the Bajrang Dal leader had both complained to the police, who were investigating the matter.
'The pastor of the New India Church of God, Jitendra Singh, approached us late Sunday night and submitted a written complaint against Ram Babu Bajpai, a local leader of the Bajrang Dal,' inspector N.K. Singh of the Govindnagar police station in Kanpur district told IANS on telephone.
Jitendra Singh said Bajpai, along with a large number of his supporters, attacked him in the church compound. His wife, Helena Singh, and fellow pastor Anil Gilbert were also present, he added.
'However, Bajpai also registered an FIR against the pastor making and made similar allegations,' N.K. Singh stated.
The Bajrang Dal has alleged that the church was involved in converting Hindus to Christianity by offering them money and the pastors attacked them when its activists opposed the practice, according to its complaint.
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