Open letter to the Prime Minister to take action against the increasing acts of intolerance by Hindu extremists. Among the signatories is former Foreign Affairs Minister Sujatha Singh. A few days ago, at the World Book Fair in Delhi, they even attacked a stand distributing Bibles. “A word from the BJP leadership would be enough to put an end to all this.”
New Delhi () – A group of 93 former Indian officials have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to take concrete measures to stop the increase in attacks against Christians in the country. Reunited under the acronym Constitutional Conduct Group, in an open letter they urge Modi to assure Christians that they will receive equal and impartial treatment by the administration and the law. Among the signatories to the letter are former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and former External Affairs Minister Sujatha Singh.
The document specifically mentions the death of Fr. Stan Swamy, Jesuit, after suffering a long detention, and the appointment of a judge who “spews hatred against Christians” in the High Court of Madras. “Christians make up only 2.3% of the Indian population,” the text says, “and this percentage has remained more or less the same since the 1951 census. However, in the minds of some, this minuscule number would mean a threat to the 80% of the population that is Hindu”.
The false accusation of forced conversions becomes the pretext for verbal, physical and psychological attacks against Christians and their institutions. “Churches and homes of Dalit and tribal Christians are being destroyed, cemeteries vandalized, educational and health institutions attacked and prayer meetings intimidated. These attacks are taking place mainly in Chhattisgarh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra”.
A few days ago, one of these incidents even took place in the middle of the World Book Fair in New Delhi: a group of Hindu extremists attacked a Gideons International stand that distributed the Bible for free, chanting slogans such as “Jai Shree Ram” (“praise Ram”, ndr) and “Bharat Mata ki jai“(“victory of the great Mother India”, ndr).
“As the prime minister of our country and all its people – including Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities – and as a leading member of the BJP, we call on you to speak out against these unacceptable acts and ensure that the police and senior officials charges prevent such incidents from happening again,” the letter reads. “Violence can be stopped immediately with a single word from the top leadership of the BJP, Union Government and all state governments. And as former civil servants, we also know that silence will only breed more violence. Christians, like all Indians, must be guaranteed equal and impartial treatment by the executive and the law,” they concluded.
