Political commentators express shock over Christian figures lauding PM Modi during Christmas
Says “irony of the year 2023” in joint press statement
New Delhi: A joint press statement by prominent figures and political commentators including Apoorvanand, John Dayal, ASR Mary Scaria SCJM, AC Michael, Minakshi Singh, and Shabnam Hashmi, highlights the irony of the year 2023 as it began with church burnings and the killing of Christians in Imphal, Manipur, and concludes with religious leaders commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contributions to the welfare of the Christian community during Christmas celebrations.
“Throughout the year, the Christian community, including bishops and clergy, had appealed to the Prime Minister to visit Manipur, a region marked by communal crimes and human tragedy. However, the plea seemingly went unanswered, leaving the responsibility to the Home Minister and the state’s Chief minister, who, according to public allegations, have been negligent in addressing the situation,” the press statement added.
“Despite Supreme Court intervention and the Chief Justice of India's involvement, the only significant action taken has been the burial of Kuki-Zo-Hmar people in Imphal hospitals. Approximately fifty thousand people from these communities continue to endure harsh conditions in refugee camps run by various church groups. Harsh Mander, a renowned human rights activist, highlights the persistent human disaster, especially affecting women and children, with unemployment, malnourishment, and the rule of private armies in the hills,” it added.
“But it is not about Manipur alone. The persecution of the community is rampant, hate towards it from the highest quarters of nationalist religious leadership as deep as it can be. The government seems keen to starve it out of existence by withdrawing the FCRAs of a vast number of churches and its NGOs, and using the investigating agencies against Cardinals and Bishops, Pastors and lay people. In UP for instance, nearly 100 pastors and even ordinary men and women are in jail under charges of illegal conversions when all they were doing was celebrating birthdays or conducting Sunday prayers,” the statement further added.
International and national human rights bodies, including the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, have criticized India for its treatment of religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians. The United Christian Forum reports an alarming rate of two incidents of prosecution per day in the country.
“Apart from Prosecution, arrests, the crisis of schools and other institutions, the massive social issue of the Dalit Christians remains. The Modi government’s spokespersons have been particularly harsh on it.
“The Prime minister is not only free but duty bound to embrace the nation’s religious minorities and invite their leaders to functions at his house on Christmas and important days. We remember when Christmas carols were a part of the Rashtrapati Bhawan Calendar. Similarly, as citizens, Bishops and Cardinals and others too are duty bound to felicitate their political leaders and rulers,” it added further.
In concluding the statement, the figures extended Christmas and New Year greetings to the nation, urging everyone not to forget the plight of their brothers and sisters who suffer due to government impunity and the actions of political elements with little regard for constitutional principles.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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