Bellary: Untouchables were charged more than Hindus in hotels in Sanganakal village, Bharamappa, an agricultural labourer, told the Justice S.R. Venkataramu Commission of Inquiry here on Nov. 19, 1990. They were charged 75 paise for a cup of tea while Hindus were charged 50 paise per cup, he said. The commission is inquiring into the attacks on untoutables and burning of their huts in the village in April last year. On April 29, a group of Hindus entered the Harijan colony and started burning the huts. When he tried to stop them, he was hit on the head with an axe, and fell unconscious. He was in hospital for 24 days. (Indian Express, Nov.20)
Bombay: Police officials reportedly continue to harass Church leaders in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, where Christian missioners are officially denied entry. Recently, catechist Pongham Robert of Mintong village, reportedly advised by Police Inspector Khonsa to continue catechizing and visiting the villages, was arrested when visiting a neighboring village by police who followed him there. Another catechist, Saika of Kasa village, was arrested and his baptism register was seized by the police. Honnai Thomas of Chase village was arrested and detained for 13 days allegedly for seeking Church help for the 33 families in his village who had lost their belongings in a fire. The arrests have reportedly shocked the people of the area. Some months earlier, Police Inspector Khonsa had issued a summons to two pastors who had taken group of youth to the Don Bosco School in Tinsukia, in the neighboring state of Assam, for a friendly volleyball match. The summons issued to Ngamwang Lowang and Wangchoi Iowang asked them to appear for a police enquiry with all nine persons whom they had taken to the school. Arunachal Pradesh, a hill tract on India’s northeastern border with Bhutan, Burma and China, has a predominantly tribal population of about 632,000 people, under a policy, framed to protect the local tribal culture, conversion to Christianity is punishable by law. The Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, however, says the tribals’ faith includes Buddhism and Vaishnavism, a form of Hinduism. Accordingly, there is little curb on Hindu missionary activity. The state has more than 25,000 Christians and their number is reportedly growing. Meanwhile, in the past decade, many Christians in the state have boon persecuted. Several have been arrested and some churches burnt. UCAN – Examiner, Bombay, Jan.16).
Washington: The paramilitary and police forces deployed in Punjab, Kashmir and the north-eastern states have been responsible for ‘significant” human rights abuses, the U.S. State Department said in its annual report on the human rights situation in countries around the world released here on Jan. 1. The report, noting that the very thinly-stretched paramilitary was often “poorly trained and equipped” to deal with crowd control and public disturbances, said it had frequently resorted quickly to “deadly force” when faced with large crowds. “Ultimately, abuses by the paramilitary and police are questions of the effectiveness of civilian oversight and the extent of the Government’s ability to vigorously prosecute offenders,” the report, presented to Congress said. In an introduction to the 1,800-page report that covers 186 countries the State Department said two South Asian democracies, India and Sri Lanka, were beset by domestic conflict based on ethnic, religious and political differences, leading to thousands of deaths in each of these countries.
