Communal violence rise in Madhya Pradesh as trident ban is revoked

Bhopal – In the wake of the revoke of the trident ban in Madhya Pradesh, the state is witnessing an increase in communal violence with the Christian minority community as the target.

On September 3, chief minister Babulal Gaur of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) revoked a state ban on carrying or displaying tridents (also known as trishuls) – a three–pronged spear regarded as a Hindu religious symbol.

The distribution of tridents was banned in 2002 by the then Chief Minister Digvijay Singh of the Congress Party in an effort to reduce communal tension within the state.

The repeal of the ban, many Christians feel, would encourage Hindu extremists to spread their reign of terror within the state.

On September 4, members of the local unit of the Hindu right–wing party, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) organized a “Trishul Diksha” or ‘trident distribution’ ceremony wherein as many as 5,000 tridents were distributed to its supporters in Jabalpur city, Madhya Pradesh.

According to local media reports, the distribution ceremony was accompanied by inflammatory speeches against minority religious communities.

The same day, in Indore, two Christians were arrested for attending a worship service at the home of Jagdish and Grace Nayak and were threatened by a Hindu mob with death if they worshipped with the Nayak family again.

Hindu extremists regard the Nayak family as enemies and have time and again, accused them of “forcibly” converting innocent Hindus. (See ‘Christian couple arrested on conversion charges. http://in.christiantoday.com/news/gen_575.htm. And ‘Hindu extremists storm prayer meeting in Madhya Pradesh, thrash Christian couple.’ http://in.christiantoday.com/news/gen_566.htm.)

Atul David and Antar Singh, who had gone to attend the worship service were arrested by the police who interrupted the service midway and were directed to accompany them to the police station.

According to eye witnesses, a Hindu mob that had gathered outside the Nayaks’ house tried to manhandle David and Singh and had threatened them with dire consequences if they dared to come for worship again.

“When the two came out, a mob of about 500 people were waiting for them,” said Patras Habil, member, State Minorities Commission. “The mob leader warned David and Singh that if they came again to attend the worship, their bones would be broken and they would be burned alive.”

The duo, who were taken to the police station, were allegedly “advised” by police inspector Mohan Singh Yadav, not to attend the worship service again and that the Nayak family would be arrested soon. The men were finally released when Indira Ayengar of the State Minorities Commission intervened on their behalf.

Inspector Yadav has, however, denied threatening David and Singh. “I did not ask them not to attend the worship,” he said. “And I kept them at the police station for their own security.”

In a separate incident, on September 22, Hindu fundamentalists attacked and threatened several Christians in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, accusing them of desecrating a Hindu idol.

The trouble broke out when Prakash Ninama, a Hindu villager who attended Christian worship services from time to time, threw a stone to chase away a bull that had strayed into his field but missed his aim and broke a Hindu idol that was installed by the Hindu extremist outfit, the Vanavasi Kalyan Parishad (VKP), next to his field.

Though Ninama apologized for his mistake, several VKP activists, in no mood to forgive, thrashed both him and another worker Hawa Ninama for “desecrating” the Hindu idol. The duo was later handed over to the local police.

While Prakash Ninama was detained at the police station for over 32 hours, Hawa Ninama was beaten brutally by the police and had to be hospitalized.

According to Compass Direct, Hawa Ninama was put on an intravenous drip and was left in a corridor for two days, until fellow Christians arrived and helped him to secure a room.

When Compass spoke with the victim at the hospital, he said members of the VKP had repeatedly asked the police to beat him, saying, “If you don’t beat him, we’ll have to do it.”

Though initially, the inspector–in–charge of the local police station initially denied any knowledge of the incident, yet, when Compass Direct supplied evidence, he admitted that the VKP had politicized the issue and that the Christian community was not at fault.

According to police reports, Prakash Ninama was presented before a magistrate on September 23 and was already in Jhabua district jail, charged under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code for defiling an object of worship.

As offenses under Section 295 are non–bailable, Prakash Ninama will have to remain in the prison while the case is pending.

In another incident, on September 24, six VKP activists threatened Christians who were holding a prayer meeting in Jhabua district. The extremist group told the believers to stop meeting together or face dire consequences and had allegedly extended the threat to all other churches in the district.

Several attacks against Christians have occurred in Jhabua district since 1997. The Communal violence that broke out in Jhabua in January 2004 and resulted in the burning of three churches, illegal detention of 11 Christians and the torching of houses of 15 Christian families was ignited by the brutal rape and killing of a 9–year old girl within a church compund in Jhabua on January 11, 2004.

Although, subsequently, police investigations revealed the rapist and the murderer was a Hindu, the one–man Narendra Prasad Inquiry Committee, established by the state government in February 2004 sought to point the blame elsewhere.

The report of the BJP–led government appointed retired director general of police (DGP) Prasad, that was published in the newspapers on July 11, 2005, has alleged that “huge conversions” in Jhabua were widening the rift between the Hindu and Christian communities and were leading to communal tension.

According to media reports, the one–man committee substantiated its findings with official census data for the period 1991–2001, which records an increase in Christian population in the area compared to the previous decade.

The report (not yet officially released by the government to the public) also questioned the indifference of state authorities to enforce the Religious Freedom Act, enacted in 1968 to check conversion by means of force, allurement or fraudulent means.

Several churches, Christian advocacy groups and organizations, including the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and the CBCI, had strongly condemned the “irresponsible” report of Prasad and have accused it of fanning communal violence in the already tense district (read article: ‘Church denounces inquiry report on Jhabua violence. http://in.christiantoday.com/news/nat_750.htm.)

Madhya Pradesh is one of the strongholds of Hindu fundamentalists in India. Till date, only four states in India have passed laws to combat “unethical” or “forced” conversions. Madhya Pradesh passed the first definitive anti–conversion law in 1966; Orissa in 1967; Arunachal Pradesh in 1978; and Tamil Nadu in October 2002. However, Tamil Nadu scrapped its anti–conversion laws following the defeat of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Presently, the Madhya Pradesh government is revising the Dharma Swatantraya Adhiniyam (Freedom of Religion) Act, in an attempt to stem conversions in the state.

According to 2001 Census figures, Christians account for just 170,381 of 60.3 million residents in Madhya Pradesh.