ASIA/INDIA - National campaign in support of the "Law to prevent abuse on religious minorities"

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - A national campaign of awareness and prayer, was launched today by Indian Christians, of all denominations, to support the approval of the "Law to prevent violence against religious minorities": this is what is reported to Fides by the All India Christian Council (AICC), an ecumenical organization committed to the defense of religious freedom, of minorities and, in particular, the rights of Christians in India.
The bill "is urgent to put an end to hate campaigns, and to restore confidence in minorities", explains to Fides John Dayal, Catholic activist, AICC General Secretary. The organization urges the Indian government to present to Parliament without delay and to approve the bill, commonly called "Communal Prevention Bill", written in early 2011 by the National Advisory Council and is now standing in Parliament (see Fides 24/5/2011 and 23/9/20119). The AICC has launched a series of initiatives across the nation, finding the support of many Christian groups.
The law was strongly supported by religious minorities but also by a large part of civil society, as an effective means to curb inter-community violence plaguing the country since independence (in 1947). According to official information, in the last ten years there have been over 6,000 interreligious violence episodes in India.
Among the most heinous mass crimes against religious communities, the AICC recalls the violence against Sikhs in New Delhi in 1984, the pogrom against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, the anti-Christian carnage in Orissa in 2008. In all these serious episodes, the police and public officials remained indifferent or were accomplices. "The worst thing is the question of justice. For most of the victims justice was denied. In Orissa, for example, not one person was convicted of murder", notes the AICC.
The bill - said the AICC to Fides - seeks to ensure justice for victims and to put an end to the climate of impunity, censoring the behavior of extremist religious groups and apathy or the involvement of public officials. The law would also help to curb hate speeches. In past months, the Hindu fundamentalist leader Praveen Togadia called for the beheading of the missionaries "operating conversions". And Subramaniam Swamy, leader of the nationalist "Bharatiya Janata Party", launched a campaign of defamation against Christian and Muslim communities. The AICC also denounces the attempt to scuttle the law, fueling false alarms and, considering inter-religious violence "an evil like corruption", strongly reiterates the urgency of measures to curb the continuous abuses against minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Dalits and tribals. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/12/2011)