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Attack on preacher: panel dismayed over situation

Special Correspondent

`BJP fora leading hate campaign against Christians'

JAIPUR: A national-level fact-finding team of human rights organisations and Christian bodies, which visited the State capital to probe last week's attack on the preacher, Walter Massey, on Thursday expressed its fears over a "Gujarat-like situation" developing in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Rajasthan in the near future.

The BJP front organisations, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, were at present leading a hate campaign against Christians in the whole of Udaipur division, adjoining Gujarat, and in parts of Ajmer and Jaipur, with the tacit support of the administration, it said.

"The pattern of violence indicates a design. The attacks on Christians are never in the form of communal clashes as they are targeted against a micro minority in the State. There is enough evidence available in many places for the police to take suo motu action against the VHP, Bajrang Dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad but no action is taken. Some of the Indian States are now seemingly ruled under a separate set of law," John Dayal, member, National Integration Council and the All India Christian Council, told journalists.

The fact finding team which included Teesta Setelvad, social activist from Mumbai, Abraham Mathai, vice president, the Minorities Commission, Maharashtra and Sister Mary Scaria, Supreme Court lawyer, besides Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of the Rajasthan PUCL, Sawai Singh of the Sadbhavana Manch and Engineer Mohammed Saleem of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, during the day met the victim's family, attended the court proceedings on bail for those arrested in this connection and discussed the situation with the Director General of Police, A.S.Gill.

"We are disappointed that the Chief Minister or any senior Minister did not visit the victim's family. The callousness is shocking," Ms. Setelvad said. The family, especially the daughter, Sheba, was under trauma of the last Sunday's attack in which 20-25 persons, suspected to be VHP workers, barged into their Nandpuri residence and attacked Mr. Massey with rods and sticks.

"The child is not in a position to speak even four days after the incident," Sister Scaria said. "The Chief Minister should ensure the safety of the family. The child needs treatment for shock. The whole family needs emotional support," Dr. Dayal said.

Decision hailed

The members appreciated the Government decision in suspending Virendra Singh Ravana, who allegedly plotted the attack, from his ESI job. Yet they found the Government failing in its duty towards an ordinary citizen, who was a victim of brutal attack.

Their visit to the district court gave them a glimpse of what was going on in the courts.

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