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In a renewed round of pre-Christmas violence, Hindu extremists in India assaulted priests and nuns and ransacked Christian churches and schools. Christian leaders fear the worst is yet to come amid the country's growing atmosphere of intolerance and communalism.

Christian organizations have repeatedly sought protection from the authorities in the largely Hindu country, but to no avail. Fanatical Hindu organizations such as the Rashtiriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Sangh Parivar (SP), and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) receive support from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In November about 400 VHP activists desecrated and forcibly took over a church belonging to the Evangelical Church of India in Surat District, Gujarat state. The church's cross was removed from the altar and replaced by Hindu idols. In addition, a saffron flag, symbolizing that the church was now a place of Hindu worship, was hoisted.

A five-member fact-finding team headed by John Dayal, secretary general of the All-India Christian Council (AICC), alleged that Hindu fundamentalist organizations were trying to convert the church into a temple. The matter, now a national controversy, is pending in court.

In the incident, about 80 Christian families, some 200 tribal Christians in all, were driven out of the village, taking refuge in a nearby forest. VHP activists have warned that the Christians will only be allowed back if they embrace Hinduism. Area Christians blame the district police for aiding the VHP.

"The situation in Gujarat has deteriorated," stated Joseph D'Souza, president of the AICC. "We feel that the government is conniving with the Sangh Parivar outfits. We take very strong objection [to] the government's claim that the church land is disputed–and [to] the forcible takeover of the church."

Dayal says, "We have ample proof that the government is conniving with the Hindu fundamentalists and is putting pressure on the police and judiciary."

In Gwalior, several men forced their way into the home of a 64-year-old priest, C. Alphonse. They beat him with sticks and iron rods, leaving him with a head injury and fractured arms, legs, and teeth in the 1 a.m. attack. Meanwhile, thugs with the radical Bajrang Dal group and the VHP assaulted a pastor, Amulya Pegu, in Majuli, Assam, apparently to curtail the growing Christian influence in the area.

In Uttar Pradesh state, armed men held captive nuns of St. Mary's Convent in Haridwar District while looting cash and other valuables. In Kolar District of Karnataka state, a mob of about 100 threw stones at Christians and a church, alleging that conversionist pamphlets and books were being distributed.

In in Bokaro village, near Ranchi, in Bihar state, more than a dozen armed men assaulted the St. Anna High School's principal and three nuns. After raping the cook, they fled with cash and other valuables. School officials accuse local authorities of failure to take action against the culprits.

In northeastern Manipur state, gunmen abducted and murdered a 32-year-old priest, Shajan Jacob Chittinapilly. He was taken to a field and shot in the forehead, at point-blank range.

Condemning the attacks, the AICC has urged Prime Minster A.B. Vajpayee to take action. The United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCFHR), meanwhile, has urged the government to act firmly against the continuing violence and is seeking protection for Christian workers in northeastern Indian states.

"Churches and Christians have become more and more vulnerable, particularly in the states where the Sang Parivar has strong influence," D'Souza notes. "Minority bashing is going on as the [government refuses] to enforce the rule of law. I am sure the situation is going to deteriorate further [since] the VHP is conniving with the authorities."

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December (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44