BANGALORE, India, December 11, 2002 (Compass) — Violence against Christian workers and institutions has risen sharply over the past months in India, even in metropolitan areas like Bombay, where schools have withdrawn permission for evangelical churches to use their property following violent incidents.
In the early hours of November 2, an armed gang suspected of links with Hindu militants attacked the Convent of St. Mary of the Angels in Parthibanoor, Tamil Nadu state. Intruders drugged convent watchdogs, cut phone lines and knocked the security guard unconscious before terrorizing the nuns, who had locked themselves in a room.
The assailants remained in the convent until dawn, banging on the door and shouting anti-Christian abuse. The nuns, fearful of being raped, resisted the attackers.
"The looters surely wanted to assault us, such was their fury," said Sister Ruby, headmistress of a high school attached to the convent.
The intruders finally left after stealing Rs. 25,000 ($450). According to Sister Ruby, one of the gang shouted through the keyhole of the barred door: "Christ pardoned the sinners. We hope you will follow in His footsteps. But mind you, if you reveal this to anyone, we will kill you all."
Police later apprehended five suspects in connection with the attack.
"The nuns were traumatized. Only God has saved them from what seemed to be a planned assault," said Sister Amalia, superior of the convent, who was away at the time.
Residents of Parthibanoor expressed shock over the assault on the Franciscan Sisters, who have ministered for years in this drought-prone region. They said the nuns are highly respected by people of all religions for their work among the poor.
Archbishop of Madurai, Marianus Arokiasamy, said the incident was "disturbing," particularly because before the October 25 passage of the Tamil Nadu Anti-Conversion Act, church officials worked unhindered "even in the most remote areas" of the state.
| Local sources say that, since the pro-Hindu bias of the state government has now been made official, anti-Christian elements feel they have a free hand to terrorize Christians |
The attack on the convent came just one week after the State Legislative Assembly promulgated the controversial anti-conversion bill. Local sources say that, since the pro-Hindu bias of the state government has now been made official, anti-Christian elements feel they have a free hand to terrorize Christians.
In a separate incident on November 10, Christians attending a conference at the Ryan International School in Malad, a western suburb of Bombay, were attacked by a mob of one hundred activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council).
The mob entered the school around 6:30 p.m. and disrupted the meeting by shouting slogans and displaying placards. Alleging that religious conversions were taking place, they ransacked the dais and beat participants who protested their vandalism.
Abraham Mathai, a member of the state minorities commission who visited the school later that night, confirmed that conference leaders were not soliciting conversions. Rather, the meeting was a training session for community leaders from around the country.
Police arrived on the scene 15 minutes after the attack. Officers later arrested Vinay Rathi and charged him with rioting and harming religious sentiment. In response to community pressure, police detained two more rioters, Munna Jaiswal and Rajesh Jaiswal, later that week. All three were released within a few days.
Meanwhile, several schools in Bombay no longer allow evangelical churches to meet on their premises for Sunday services or prayer meetings, due to the recent spate of attacks by Hindu fundamentalists.
| "Christian-run schools are now afraid of giving their rooms or halls to evangelical groups, as they feel that their property will be damaged and their staffers beaten up." |
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- Dolphy D'Souza, spokesperson of the Bombay Catholic Sabha
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"Christian-run schools are now afraid of giving their rooms or halls to evangelical groups, as they feel that their property will be damaged and their staffers beaten up," said Dolphy D'Souza, spokesperson of the Bombay Catholic Sabha.
In October, three members of the Grace Baptist Church of Vikhroli suffered beatings while returning from Sunday service. In another attack, VHP activists in Vartak Nagar assaulted three evangelists who were selling Christian literature door-to-door.
On November 1, a cemetery in Sahibganj, Jharkhand state, was vandalized on the eve of All Souls Day, when many Christians visit the graves of loved ones to pay their respects. Witnesses say that the entire 300-year-old graveyard, including the caretaker's shed, tombstones and bones of the deceased had all but disappeared.
Mathai said he has come across several instances of bias on the part of the police when it comes to protecting Christians from attack. "Policemen at the lower level believe the VHP's false propaganda that every church is trying to convert people to Christianity," he said.
"The police chiefs are sympathetic, but the police force is controlled by politicians," said Bishop Baiju Gavit of the Church of North India, Bombay Diocese. He feels that the state must show political will and ban the Bajrang Dal and VHP.
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