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Thursday, Feb 24, 2005

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Uproar over attack on Christians

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, FEB. 23. The Congress today alleged collusion of the administration and the police in the attack on Christians in Kota this past week-end in the Rajasthan Assembly. Amid noisy protests from members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the opposition leaders said that the State was witnessing "a reign of terror'' with the Government allowing the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to have a free run.

The Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes when the Congress member, Chandra Shekhar Baid, raised the issue of attack on Christians from Andhra Pradesh, through an adjournment motion during Zero Hour. The charge of religious conversions at the scheduled programme at the Emmanuel Mission Society in Kota was either the result of prejudice or merely a bogey to harass the Minorities, he said.

"The minorities are feeling insecure in Rajasthan. These kinds of attacks have taken place earlier also. Such acts of terror are against the culture and tradition of Rajasthan,'' said the Leader of the Opposition, B.D.Kalla. "The Government should have given protection to those who have come from outside.''

The Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, sat quietly in the House when the bedlam took place. The Minister for Home, Gulab Chand Kataria, said the "police are doing their duty''. The initial purpose of the programme at Emmanuel Mission Society was "religious conversion'' though today in a written assurance the organization promised to "not to have conversions'', Mr.Kataria said waving a sheet of paper.

The ruling party members, who at times shouted "shame, shame'' at the Congress members, were found to be provoked when the words "fascist and anti-social'' were used to refer to the attackers. "You mean to say that Christians can do anything ? You want the Government to sit back and watch,'' M.P.Jain, chief whip of the ruling party who threatened to "beat up'' those who tried to convert, said.

The attack on the contingent from Andhra Pradesh who were roughed up and sent back from the Kota railway station itself without allowing them to enter the town, was a blemish on the "hospitable'' image of the State, Dr.Baid said. He charged that the Minister for Social Welfare, Madan Dilawar, who had what looked like a running feud with the founder of the Emmanuel Society, Archbishop, K.K.Thomas, with a hand in the whole development.

When Dr.Thomas was awarded Padma Shri a few years back, Mr.Dilawar had demanded the Government to take it back, Dr.Baid noted. A committee to probe the so- called conversions was itself indicative of the prejudice the Government had, he said. He and his party colleague, Harimohan Sharma alleged that the police and administration remained silent spectators when the people from outside were attacked and heckled regularly at the Kota railway station for the past four days.

Mr.Sharma said the complaints from the aggrieved persons were not registered by the police and instead cases were registered against them on complaints from the BJP and Bajrang Dal workers. "The FIR was manipulated as all the developments at the Kota railway station early morning on February 19 were premeditated,'' he charged.

Giving his statement, Mr.Kataria said he had been informed in advance by sources in Andhra Pradesh about the arrival of tribals from there for conversion.

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