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Militant Hindu organizations such as the Rashtiriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Sangh Parivar (SP) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) receive support from members of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), thus fueling a campaign against religious minorities in India.

In November, about 400 VHP activists desecrated and forcibly took over a church belonging to the Evangelical Church of India in the Surat district, Gujarat state. They removed the church's cross from the altar, replacing it with Hindu idols. They also hoisted a saffron flag, symbolizing that the church had become a place of Hindu worship.

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 and took refuge in a nearby forest. VHP activists have warned that the Christians will be allowed back only if they embrace Hinduism.

Area Christians say the district police assisted the SP. "The situation in Gujarat has deteriorated," said 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 Uttar Pradesh state, armed men held captive nuns of St. Mary's Convent in the Haridwar district while looting cash and other valuables. In the Kolar district of Karnataka state, a mob of about 100 threw stones at Christians and a church, alleging that evangelistic pamphlets and books were being distributed.

In Bokaro village, near Ranchi, in Bihar state, more than a dozen armed men assaulted 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 failing 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, 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 Sangh Parivar has strong influence," D'Souza says. "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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February 5 2001, Vol. 45, No. 2