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VHP denies hand in Dangs violence

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today denied involvement in the communal disturbances in the tribal district of Dangs in south Gujarat and charged Christian missionaries with fomenting trouble because they are finding it difficult to get new recruits to their faith.

VHP joint general secretary Praveen Togadia said sadhus addressing a meeting of tribals were "assaulted" on December 25. A similar attack was made in November on Swami Ambarishan of the Bharat Sewashram Sangh and nine other mendicants, he said.

A number of temples had also been damaged in far-flung villages of the tribal district, but the news hadn't come in owing to the inaccessibility of these areas, he said.

Togadia said the VHP's work was confined to the district headquarters at Ahwa.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel today had his first-ever meeting, lasting 90 minutes, with Christian leaders in the state.

A seven-member team led by Father Cedric Prakash, co-ordinator of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, called on Patel. Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya and other senior officials were present.

Fr Prakash had another 45-minute meeting with Home Secretary V V R Subba Rao.

He said Patel assured the team that the government would ensure the safety of all citizens and not allow violence to recur. He also promised to look into the demand for compensation for property losses and book the culprits. Peace committees will also be formed in the affected areas, he said.

Fr Prakash termed as "baseless" reports in a section of press that church leaders had sought help from Pope John Paul II.

Bishop S Fernandes of the Catholic diocese of Ahmedabad, Bishop V Malviya of the Church of North India, Rev M V Christy of the Methodist Church, Major G Chavan of the Salvation Army, Father Francis Parmar, principal of Saint Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, and G Kamadia, administrator of the properties of Methodist churches, were the others in the delegation.

They pointed out that 40 well-documented cases of atrocities against Christians had been reported this year in Gujarat after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. In the last three days alone, they claimed, "innumberable" cases had been reported. Three women were injured at Ahwa and two priests were attacked at Subir, Fr Prakash said.

According to him, since Christmas, at least seven churches in south Gujarat have been burnt while one high school and two hostels have been damaged.

Official sources said the delegation was satisfied with the state government's response. The Christian leaders maintained that the issue should not be politicised, but should be sorted out amicably.

In Ahmedabad, state RJP president Madhusudan Mistry urged Governor Anshuman Singh to use the powers vested in him under Article 244 (1) of Part A of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

Under this provision, the governor can send an annual report, or whenever required, to the President regarding administration of the scheduled areas of the state. The executive power of the Union extends to giving the state directions on the administration of these areas.

Mistry said the RJP had sent a fact-finding team to Dangs that would submit a memorandum to the governor tomorrow.

Condemning the "unabated" violence against Christians and the administration's failure to curb it, he said even Pandya's presence had not deterred the "lumpen" elements from resorting to violence.

UNI

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