annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Religious Minorities
the Bhil converts ambushed one of them
outside the village of Punniawat, 3 km
from Amjut. Several men inside the
vehicle were injured and one of them died.
Following this, a mob comprising mainly
of Sewa Bharti, VHP and BJP men
attacked churches and Christian homes in
Alirajpur. Though the CNI church campus
is only 100 yards away from the police
station, the police did nothing to prevent
the attack. 17 The then Chief Minister Uma
Bharati termed the violence as a law and
order problem. The administration
allegedly tried to shield the Hindu
rioters. 18 The 12 persons arrested so far
include the head of the mission Theophile
Stephen, two of the female teachers, and a
priest for being part of the mob that pelted
stones at the sadhvis. 19 In an interview to
the Indian Express, Chief Minister Uma
Bharati claimed, “There has been no
attack on any church. Jhabua ...was a
simple law and order problem that was
tackled within an hour.” 20 Christians of
Jhabua district moved the NHRC against
atrocities on them, and demanded an
inquiry. 21 In early March 2004, the
Minister of State for Home, Jagdish
Muvel, categorically denied the arrest of
innocent Christians. He said 27 cases have
284
been registered, and one-member inquiry
committee, headed by DGP Narendra
Prasad, has been formed to probe into the
matter. 22
On 27 April 2004, the Madhya
Pradesh Christian Association accused the
state administration of harassing Christian
minorities in tribal-dominated Jhabua, and
denying justice to them. In protest against
the atrocities on the Christian minority
community, a rape victim decided to
immolate herself in front of the DGP’s
office on 29 April 2004. She alleged that
she was gang raped, her valuables looted
and her house burnt down in the riots
following the formation of the BJP
government in the state. Despite several
complaints the police allegedly failed to
register an FIR against the criminals. 23
On 31 December 2004, about 45
unidentified tribals from Dahod district of
Gujarat allegedly attacked one Puran
Chand, who was allegedly converting
residents in Jhabua to Christianity.
Additional superintendent of police
Dharmendra Chowdhury said that after the
tribals stormed into Chand’s house, they
set a jeep, a motorcycle and a place of
worship on fire. The state government has
ordered a probe into the incident. 24
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