forwarding a govt. press release

[Sanjeev Sabhlok <sabhlok@almaak.usc.edu>]

Dear friends,

I remember reading some rather ghastly stories (pretty extensive
coverage) in Los Angeles Times about attacks on some Christians. I was
happy to see that GOI has issued a press release. It came to my notice
while browsing the Indian Embassy web site

	http://www.indianembassy.org/pic/prnov1998.html

I am forwarding this to everyone so that others who have read these
reports in the foreign media can set their minds at ease, particularly
since we have had occasional heated debates on this list on similar
topics. I would like to request that we do not start off a discussion on
this topic, once again, since these things usually go off track very
quickly. Simply take note that we have strong forces inside India which
will fight these incidents. Only regret: the Los Angeles Times is not
perhaps going to publish this press release in a prominent place. But
that is beyond the point. We should be ourselves clear that aberrations
do not represent the national consensus.

Sincerely,

Sanjeev

November 19, 1998

Some dispatches and articles have appeared in the US media (e.g.
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times) recently about alleged ill-treatment
of Christians in India. These have tended to attribute communal motives
to one or two criminal incidents and to conclude that India are under
some kind of threat. Far from abetting or condoning the incidents, the
Government of India has taken prompt and effective action to investigate
them and to bring the criminals to book. The Christian community in
India continues to enjoy the rights and privileges of citizenship and to
practice its religion without any let or hindrance like other religious
groups.

India is, as enshrined in its Constitution, a secular, democratic
republic in which justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are assured
to all its citizens irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. The
Indian Constitution contains inviolable fundamental rights which include
the Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation
of religion, as well as Freedom for attendance at religious instructions
or religious worship in certain educational institutions. The
Constitution also provides for cultural and educational rights for the
protection of the interests of the minorities. These fundamental rights
are zealously guarded by an independent judiciary, free press and
vigilant public opinion. In addition to the judiciary, several
institutions such as the National Commission for Minorities and the
National Human Rights Commission provide free and unfettered fora in
which any violation of fundamental human rights receives wide attention
and redressal.

The Christian community has one of its oldest homes in India since the
time of Saint Thomas and has been a valuable and essential part of the
modern Indian State. Christian luminaries have contributed in great
measure to the development of India through their work in all fields of
activity, particularly politics, education, public service, arts and
culture.

As regards the deplorable incident of the rape of nuns in Madhya
Pradesh, the Home Minister of India Mr. L.K. Advani was unsparing in his
condemnation of the heinous crime and has called for strongest
punishment to the perpetrators. He has publicly proposed that the law
should be amended to provide for death sentence for the crime of rape.

Unfortunately, crimes cannot be eliminated from any society. At the same
time, it would be incorrect to draw the conclusion that isolated
incidents or statements are a signal that a society like India which has
been known for centuries for its religious tolerance and has been a home
to a large number of faiths can single out one community for attack.
Such a presumption questions the entire ethos of the Indian civilization
as well as the Constitutional guarantees and democratic processes which
are an incontrovertible reality in modern India.



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