Attack on secular fabric of Indian Constitution continuing, upsurge in religious attacks dangerous for democracy and harmony
National Alliance of People's Movement's statement condemning the attack by Hindutva groups on Christians in Madhya Pradesh:
National
Alliance of People’s Movements expresses deep shock at the unprovoked
violence against Christian priests and seminarians in Satna in the
Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on the night of December 14,
2017. A group of people hailing from Bajrang Dal attacked a group of 30
Seminarians and two Priests of St. Ephrem’s Theological College as they
were conducting a routine Christmas carol singing programme which has
been the practice during the Christmas season for the last 30 years.
The
group came with lathis and started threatening the Priests and
Seminarians. Just then they called the police, who arrived in just 15
minutes and taken all Priests and Seminarians to the police station. It
is very shameful that during the celebrations, not even the police
restricted them of their freedom of religious celebrations but also
tortured them by putting all of them in a room which cannot accommodate
even half of them.
Later when other priests from nearby villages came to enquire, the
police allegedly beaten them up and shamelessly acted against the spirit
of constitution, leaving Bajrang Dal people untouched and free to do
violence inside and outside the police station. They even torched
vehicles of priests and beaten up in front of police officials which
only proves their involvement in the alleged planned attack and
harassment of religious minorities in the garb of prevention from
religious conversions.
This is not standalone case but we are seeing this as a trend under the rule of current Government.
In most of the BJP ruled states, it has seen a rise in the last three
years. Only in Madhya Pradesh, a dozen of incidents happened in the past
giving a strong indication of religious attacks by Hindutva groups
maligning the secular fabric of the country and constitutional rights of
citizens of India.
It is worrying that this incident of mobocracy occurs among a host of other incidents around the country.
The video clipping of the gruesome murder of Mohammad Afrazul, a migrant
worker from West Bengal who was hacked with a cleaver and then set on
fire by a man in Rajasmand, Rajasthan on the suspicion of being in a
relationship with a woman from another religious faith has gone viral
and many Hindutva groups are being proud of the act and also unfurled
the flag on Udaipur session court.
Lynchings of more than 32 persons over the last two years almost all
from one minority community on the suspicion of killing a cow or
possessing beef is creating a fear psychosis among the minorities. These
acts of Cow vigilantes do not being credit to our democratic nation
with its long tradition of being the model of civilized living and
harmonious existence in comparison to some other countries in
neighbourhood.
The incident in Satna just a few days before Christmas
is shameful and deplorable. Even worse, lynchings, mob attacks and
brutal killings of innocent people with culprits often not being found
or going unpunished for months are largely blots on our democracy and
judiciary.
We condemn the inaction of government and connivance of
police forces with the Hindutva groups in this incident. We are deeply
concerned and hurt at this religious terrorism. We demand the political
leadership at Centre and States to follow the rule of law, respect the
Indian Constitution, and to immediately arrest and notify the groups
those are continuously acting on the behest of saffron terror groups
spreading hatred among different communities. Hate politics cannot take
India forward and will only create divisions in the society.
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