Author: Anil Singh
Publication: The Times Of India
Date: January 5, 2003
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the
Bajrang Dal are not behind the two instances of converts to Christianity
being attacked on New Year's Day in this district adjoining Mumbai. The
victims themselves say that they were beaten up by their own brethren,
who were angered by the conversions.
No one was seriously injured in
either incident, one in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi and another in a
tribal hamlet in Wada taluka.
In the incident in Padma Nagar in
Bhiwandi, a mob of Telugu-speaking Hindus ransacked the hall of a civic
school where nearly 50 families of labourers had gathered for the New Year
feast. According to powerloom worker Abel Vemla, until recently known Vithal
Vemla, the attack took place at 10.30 a.m. and went on for an hour. Pastor
Prakash Boine, the target of the attack, was admitted to the Indira Gandhi
Memorial Hospital at Bhiwandi along with two others, but all three were
discharged after first aid, said Dr G.A. Khan, who treated them.
Pastor Boine, a powerloom supervisor,
is said to be in Mumbai with his in-laws and could not be contracted. According
to local RPI worker Padma Jogin, the Telugu-speaking residents of Padma
Nagar were enraged after their community newsletter reported that the Faith
Fire fellowship, a Protestant congregation that Pastor Boine represents,
was offering As 5,000 for conversions. "The victims are so scared that
were unwilling even to name the assailants," said Ms Jogin, who alleged
that the police was not taking the issue seriously Abraham Mathai, member
of the State Minorities Commission, has taken up the issue with the police.
In the second incident, three families
in the tribal settlement of Bharadpada in Kutan village, Wada taluka, were
ostracised and beaten up for embracing Christianity "The police did not
take any action even when we were roughed up on Wednesday by our neighbours
in the presence of sub-inspector S.K. Amule and constable Rathod," alleged
Suresh Sutar, who converted to Christianity two months ago.
Mr Sutar (25), a farmhand, said
he embraced Christianity because it had "cured" him of his persistent fever.
Two other tribals, Devram Ahadi (28) and Jairam Rinjad (25), gave the same
reason for conversion.
The three were introduced to Christianity
by Shyam Randive and his sister-in-law Sunanda Thakur of nearby Palghar,
who were appointed honorary missionaries three years ago by Bishop Baiju
Gavit of the Protestant Church of North India.
"Apart from evangelising, we run
balwadis, medical centres and anti-liquor campaigns in the villages," said
Mr Randive, who once was an auxiliary plant operator at the Tarapur Nuclear
Power Plant. He also did a stint at a Gulf desalination plant.
The Wada police, led by assistant
police inspector S.K. Ghadge, visited the hamlet on Friday evening at the
insistence Mr Mathai.
"Inaction on the part of the police
has emboldened people to take the law into their own hands," said Mr Mathai,
who toured Bhiwandi and Wada on Friday.
The villagers perceive the activities
of the missionaries as an interference in their way of life. "We don't
want this religion which requires us to dump our deities in the river,"
Janu Barad, one of those accused of beating up the converts, told API Ghadge.
The entire village, including the
womenfolk and children, about 60 people in all, gathered when the police
team arrived to inquire. The menfolk were subdued but the women were clearly
hostile towards Mr Randive and Ms Thakur, who accompanied the police party.
The duo said they had no complaints against the villagers but were concerned
about the safety of the converts.
No arrests have been made in this
case and API Ghadge summoned both sides to the police station to sort out
the issue. However, Mr Sutar said he could not stay in his village until
the issue was resolved.
