Sat, 20/03/2010 - 7:45am 5th Anniversary of the Fellowship of the suffering

For the measure you generously give will be the measure you receive. – Luke 6:38. “Bless those who curse you and pray for those who are cruel to you”. -Luke 6:27& 28.

Thu, 18/03/2010 - 4:52pm Lipsa Naik six year boldly disposes in the Phulbhani court-Orissa

Phulbhani-(Orissa)
Lipsa Naik(6), is totally ignorant of the administrative and judicial system of the State but has shown her boldness and bravery in giving her testimony as the eye witness to the murder of her father in the First Track Court No.1 at Phulbani in spite of lot many threats against her and her widow mother.
In the said Court on last 14.03.2010, she has identified BJP M.L.A Manoj Pradhan as her father's killer who has been elected from the G. Udayagiri constituency while in the Jail. When the hon'ble Court asked her about who was the murderer of her father, this Lipsa boldly uttered her confession pointing this M.L.A Manoj Pradhan who did the said heinous crime. Her widow mother also gave her testimony as 2nd eye witness to this murder of believer Manoj Naik of Tiangia village of G. Udayagiri, Kandhamal.
This was happened just after the communal violence broke out after the killing of Swami Laxamanananda Saraswoti when Lipsa, her another sister Kuni(2) fled to the nearby forest along with their Parent. But ultimately the supporters of Swamiji as were chasing after, could locate them inside the forest. And after mercilessly beating her father Monaj Naik for about 1 & 1/2 hours, they stabbed and cut him into pieces by the lethal weapons together and put Kerosin on his body and set fire on him in a brutal manner.
At this juncture when the situation in Kandhamal is still volatile and no eye witnesses to the major serious cases are not coming forward due tosevere threat to their lives, this small girl with her mother, could come and boldly gave her testimony in the Court in favour of his innocent father's murder case.

Thu, 18/03/2010 - 11:38am Dead body tossed and dumped by radicals

Arsikere-Karnataka
17th Wednesday-2010

As if burying the dead Christians in own cemetery were illegal in India, nearly1 50 villagers lead by led Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) and Bajrang Dal activists on 17th March stormed in to the compound of the St. Thomas church in Gijahalli two Kms from Arsikere, Karnataka. Then the extremists entered the cemetery premises shouting “Jai Shri Ram [Victory to Lord Ram].” the bereaved family and friends were shocked and pleaded with the radicals to spare the dead body and respect the dead one.
Late Mr Issac a 50 year member of St.Thomas church was taken in the earthly final journey to the cemetery for his funeral service , a land owned by the church ,purchased in the year 2009 with own funds proved not be his final journey for eternal rest . When the funeral service was about to begin by the presbyter Sunder Raj pastor of the a century old church ,the perpetrators unleashed brutal attack on the mourners and the dead body. The coffin was pulled apart and the cross carried by the believers was desecrated and over again they have despised the dead body .The savage attackers have brought the village pancayath tractor and tossed the dead body in and dumped out side the village. The callous actors asked the believers to carry the dead body to Rome or America as the dead Christians may contaminate the soil.

Hindu extremists forcefully took the dead body and carted away on a tractor . The district depty superindent of police came for help and was buried the dead boy at around 11 in the night. At press time, police were investigating the complaints lodged by Christians.

Wed, 17/03/2010 - 8:32pm Bishop and Christian believers seek bail in alleged conversion case

Satna(Madhya Pradesh)17th March-2010

Church people, including a bishop, yesterday sought anticipatory bail after police booked them for violating a central Indian state’s law on religious conversion.Global council of Indian Christians(GCIC) urges all sections of society to persuade Madhy Pradesh government to roll back the reprehensible anti conversion law, successfully used to blunt the social engineering by the church for the poor

Bishop Mathew Vaniakizhakkel of Satna, a diocese in Madhya Pradesh state, has dismissed the case against him, two priests, a nun and two laypeople as “totally fabricated.”

The bishop said today that the case is “part of a motivated campaign against the Church for its role in helping the weaker sections of society.”

Police registered the case under non-bailable sections of the state’s stringent anti-conversion law after one Christopher Pavy, a Christian, complained that a woman converted to Catholicism before her marriage in May 2009.

Pavy also sought action against the bishop and others under the state law that forbids conversion through force or allurement.

However, the woman’s brother, Nand Kishore, says the charge is false as “ours is a strong Catholic family.” Kishore, who is a lawyer, informed that his family attends Church services regularly. “My sister’s marriage was done according to our Christian tradition,” he added.

The bishop said the Church baptizes only the children of Catholics, “hence, the question of conversion does not arise at all.”

Father Jolly Konnukodan, assistant parish priest of Satna’s St. Vincent Cathedral, told UCA News that the Church applied for anticipatory bail since it took the case seriously.

The priest said the police had already investigated the case after they received a similar complaint soon after the woman’s marriage.

This was corroborated by police officer Shashank Garg, who probed the case earlier. “There was no merit in the case,” he told UCA News.

Father Konnudkodan regretted that “vested interests use the case to harass us regularly.”

On March 11, two days after Pavy filed the case, some Hindu radicals tried to vandalize the cathedral but police foiled that attempt.

Sacred Heart Sister Pauly, who is among the accused, expressed shock over the case. “I am engaged in educating children and not in any conversion activities as alleged,” the principal of Christ Jyoti Senior Secondary School informed.

Wed, 17/03/2010 - 10:05am Amended law to let Centre take charge in riot-hit states

Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Time

New Delhi, March 17, 2010

The government’s final version of the communal violence law empowers
the Centre(Indian Federal Govt) to take charge of an area where riots have broken out once
it sends in central forces, if it finds the state government concerned
reluctant to act against the rioters.

The new law still does not allow the Centre to send armed forces on
its own to a riot-hit spot. But once a state has asked for central
forces to quell violence, the Centre will have the right — under
certain circumstances — of setting up a unified command, comprising
these forces and the local police.

The amendment was cleared by the Cabinet last December and is expected
to come for parliamentary approval next month.

The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of
Victims) Bill, however, says the Centre can declare an area
“communally disturbed” and take direct charge only if the state
concerned refuses to act against the violence being perpetrated to
such an extent that the secular fabric of the country, or internal
security, is endangered.

To guard against political misuse, the law stipulates that the Centre
must first draw the attention of the state government to the
deteriorating state of affairs, and set a deadline for it to take
necessary steps to suppress the violence.

Until now, central forces deployed in a state worked under the control
of the local district administration. But henceforth, in special
circumstances, it will work under the unified command, which will
report to the Centre.

The amendment was conceived of in the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat
riots, when it was widely believed the state government had done
little to discourage the rioters.
Even so, it is bound to anger state governments who will see it as an
encroachment on their powers. Eight of 12 states that responded to a
survey by a parliamentary panel had even opposed an earlier, milder
version.

Wed, 17/03/2010 - 7:53am GCIC jointly object with CBCI Justice Siddiqui’s Comments on Minorities

NEW DELHI, Mar. 16, 2010,
The Catholic Bishops Confernce of India (CBCI) Commission for Education and Culture has written to the Prime Minister, Education Minister and other authorities objecting to the recent interpretation of the nature of minority status by the Chairman of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) Justice M.S.A. Siddiqui.

Christian Community has objected to the interpretation that Christian institutions with less than 30% students from the community cannot claim the Minority status guaranteed by the Constitution of India Art.30 (1). Siddiqui’s comments published in The Telegraph recently quoted him as saying: “I have ordered that an institution must have a minimum, reasonable percentage of students from a particular minority community to claim the institution as a minority institution. I have set the figure at 30 per cent.”

The CBCI Commission has in the following memorandum to the authorities has sought to take appropriate action on the issue.

… The Article 30(1) clearly states: “All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”.

The Constitution does not fix any percentage for acquiring minority status.
Many a court decision is available to support the minority status of minority educational institutions in the country.
This statement and insistence is “arbitrary and one sided” and goes against the very purpose of Art.30 (1) of the Constitution of India.
Justice Siddiqui takes cover under the 2005 P.A. Inamdar judgement to validate his rulings.
This ruling comes especially now that the Christian and the Sikh members of NCMEI are absent as the Government is yet to fill the vacancies.
The Christian population in India is just 2% of the whole, and these are scattered all over the country. Wherever they are they have a right to preserve their religion and culture.
Besides this community has been serving and imparting quality education to the larger community without distinction of caste, creed, colour and sex.
From the inception of National commission for Minority Educational Institutions in 2004 till February 2010 has granted Minority Certificates to thousands of educational institutions that do not meet the new condition laid down by Justice Siddiqui.
It is surprising that the Commission (NCMEI) established with the intent of protecting and safeguarding the interests of the minority communities and the Constitutional provisions has taken a decision against the interests of the same.

Tue, 16/03/2010 - 9:15pm Nine get jail, one acquitted in Kandhamal riots case

16th March2010

Bhubaneswar: Nine people were convicted and sentenced to four years in jail by a trial court on Tuesday for their role in the riots in Orissa's Kandhamal district in 2008. One man was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Nine people were convicted and sentenced to a four-year jail term and fined Rs.5,500 each in a case of arson during Kandhamal riots. One man named Hrushi Pradhan has been acquitted in the absence of evidence,' P.K. Patra, the public prosecutor, informed.

52 acquitted in Kandhamal riot cases

The Fast Track Court-II Judge C.R. Das convicted the nine people of Salesaru village for torching the house of Balusan Digal and other villagers on Aug 25, 2008.