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Targeted violence and hate crimes against the Christian community in India continued unabated in 2018. The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) of the Evangelical Fellowship of India has recorded 325 incidents where Christians have been targeted using violence, intimidation or harassment. More than the numbers, what is disturbing is the sudden spurt of violence in a few districts of Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous province, and in Tamil Nadu in the extreme south of the subcontinent.We especially appeal to the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, to deal with stringently with the various right-wing organizations operating in these states whose primary agenda is to create an atmosphere of fear among the Christian community and other religious minorities.More detailed recommendations to the Government of India can be found in the report.Rev. Vijayesh Lal National Director – EFIRLC General Secretary – EFI
The gutsy fighter, the dynamite man of yesteryears, is no more, having just passed on with two fat ladies (tambola language) at 88.I first met George Bhai in July 1990, when he was the Railway Minister in the Vajpayee cabinet. I had just been elected as the National President (NP) of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) and was having my baptism by fire in the infamous Gajraula nuns’ rape case. I had called my first meeting of the AICU Working Committee in New Delhi. It was decided that our entire team would go to meet him, as he was the only “Christian” minister. My predecessor in office, George Menezes, knew him well, and fixed the appointment.The first thing that I noticed when we entered his office was the stacks of files on his table. Was this because he was busy or inefficient? I would like to believe the former. When we broached the subject of the rapes he threw a question back at us. “Why do you get agitated only when nuns are raped? Are there not so many other poor and defenceless women who also get raped? Why don’t you speak up for them too?” He declined to visit Gajraula with our team.Two days later, accompanied by my vice president, Paul Mantosh the nominated Anglo Indian MP, Lennie Gonsalves whom I had appointed as national secretary for Women’s Affairs, and Sr Shalini of the Indian Social Institute, we did visit Gajraula.Paul, who was also of the Janta Dal, threatened to resign from the Lok Sabha if the government took no action. The
Good governance is
the courage to protect the sanctity of the Constitution not doing or permitting anything towards its destruction.
Good governance isabout the rights and freedom of every citizen not treating some particular people as alien
Good governance isthe honesty to mainstream ‘satyameva jayate’ not indulging in lies and myths extremely petty
Good governance isabout authenticity and transparency not about hype and false vibrancy
Good governance ispreserving our environment and fragile bio-diversity not to be destroyed by the likes of Ambani and Adani
Good governance isabout development with a genuine human face not terror, plunder and loot which is often the case
Good governance isowning responsibility for those killed in the Gujarat Carnage with exemplary punishment for those who went on rampage
Good governance isalways taking a stand for what is non-violent, just and right, not crushing human rights defenders with all your might
Good governance isreaching out to the country’s marginalised and poor rather than making the powerful and rich your core
Good governance isensuring that all f
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in his address to the Christian community at Amaravati stated that “he would stand by the Christian community till the Dalit Christians are accorded the status of SCs and STs for reservation benefits.” His stand for Dalit Christians is laudable.Article 15 of the constitution says: “the state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of them.”Even though our constitution guarantees equal rights to every citizen, Dalit Christians are denied reservation benefits on par with the Hindu Dalits on grounds that in Christianity they have no caste system. Though Sikhism and Buddhism do not follow the caste system, they are accorded all the reservation benefits on par with the Hindu Dalits.The socio- economic disabilities of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims are the same as those suffered by caste Hindu Dalits. But the religion based discrimination is still continuing under the cover of controversial presidential order of 1950.Therefore the incoming government at the centre, irrespective of party affiliation should see that equal justice is done to the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims on par with the Hindu Dalits, Sikhs and neo - Buddhists for reservation benefits.- Thomas Mulackel, Bangaluru
Nuns, indeed, are the face of the Catholic Church in India. There are about a lakh of them in various congregations. They run schools, hospitals, orphanages, destitute homes and hostels all over the country. They are the ones who tend to the needy in the remotest areas of the country. “Women religious form the largest workforce within the Church,” said Sr Julie, a lawyer who belongs to the congregation of Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit. “Still, they get no respect, face sexual abuse, get low wages and are allowed to perform only stereotypical roles. They have no say in policy matters. All decisions are taken by the diocese headed by priests.”“There are many reasons for the change,” said Sr Gloria. “Earlier, every family would have seven or eight children, and many parents found it prudent to send one or two of them to convents where these girls would be given good education. Now the size of families has come down and the income level has increased.” She and her sister joined the convent in 1966. “Several other girls had become aspirants along with us on the same day,” she said. “It was a big event. Now we never get to see such days.”Some attribute the fall in the number of aspirants to the changing social mores. “The influence of worldly life is so much that not many girls want to live this life of deprivation. The young girls find no attraction [in this life],” said Sr Susamma of the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites in K
