Fr.Cedric Prakash, Director, PRASHANT – Centre for human rights, justice and peace Spokesperson – Gujarat United Christian Forum for Human Rights
For almost a week now, the Gujarat Police have been knocking on the doors of Christian institutions and families all over the State asking a series of high objectionable questions.
In almost every case, thae police have been coming without any authorization and are at a loss to say who has sent them and for what the answers are required.
In the single instance (in Modasa, Sabarkantha District), the police with great difficulty furnished in writing (Gujarati – rather illegible) their questionnaire as follows : To: All Thana Amaldhar In DPO, CPI, Himatnagar No. L1B/M/03 dated 2/3/2003 Send information (between 1998 and 2003) about Christians of your area to this information centre or the State Government as per the paper (Patrak) by 3/3/2003 4.00 p.m.
1.
2 Year
3. No. of Christians at the beginning of the year.
4. Change of religion, area or village.
5. No. of people increased during the year.
6. No. of natural births (No. of increase)
8. Marriage of Christians with people from other religion.
9. Reasons for people migrating to – from your district or area.
10. Total No. of Christians (approx. from A to B)
11. Special note. “
The police (special branch, Ahmedabad) also visited our centre PRASHANT. Among the questions asked were :
a) who is the head of the institution ?
b) what are the activities of the institution ?
c) from where does the money come ? etc.
The police have also visited several Christian families all over and the questions related specifically to conversionand whether they were forcibly converted. In some families the police arrived there almost at midnight. Many of these families feel absolutely intimidated and harassed and are afraid even to speak about the trauma that they have gone through. In Modasa, a tribal Christian was called to the police station for long hours of interrogation.
Reports which keep coming in are from all parts of Gujarat…Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Kutch, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Panchmahals and different parts of South Gujarat. This activity of the police is not merely discriminatory but highly unlawful and unconstitutional. In 1999, when the State Government decided to do a census on the Muslims and Christians, a suo moto order by Justice M. R. Calla of the Gujarat High Court very clearly stated that there cannot be a religion-wise or community-wise targeting of a particular group.
The Home Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Amit Shah in an interview to NDTV on March 10, 03 admitted that such a survey is taking place in Gujarat. This discriminatory survey of the police on the Christians is just another sign of the way minorities and other vulnerable communities in this State are being targeted and victimized. It needs to be condemned by all sections of civil society.
10th March 2003