Country Advice India – IND37164 – – percentage of

Christians/Catholics – police arresting – relocation 27 August 2010

1. What are the percentage of Christians in Kerala? The percentage of Catholics of the population?

Kerala is referred to in a number of sources, such as a 2002 BBC News feature article, as “the cradle of in India”.1 Sources vary as to the percentage of Christians in Kerala, ranging from 19 percent2 to 23 percent3 of Kerala‟s total population. At the time of India‟s last census, conducted in 2001, Kerala had a population of just under 32 million (31,841,374).4 Of this population numbered 17,883,449 (56%); 7,863,842 (25%); and Christians 6,057,427 (19%). According to information on the Every Culture website, the various Catholic denominations together constitute 61.4 percent of Christians in Kerala.5

Information on the Every Culture website lists the size of the various Christian denominations in Kerala as follows:

Roman Catholics which include Latin and Syrian Catholics are 61.4 percent of the Kerala Christians, Syrian Orthodox and Jacobite Syrians are 21.4 percent, Marthoma Syrians 5.7 percent, Church of 5.2 percent, and others who are members of various Evangelical churches 6.3 percent.6

A Times of India article lists some Kerala districts which have the highest Christian populations:

1 Haviland, Charles 2002, „India‟s Christians: Roots and disputes‟, BBC News , 25 December http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2604455.stm - Accessed 1 September 2006 – Attachment 1. 2 „43 pc of Keralites are Muslims, Christians‟ 2004, Times of India, 7 September http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/842261.cms – Accessed 10 December 2008 – Attachment 2. 3 „Kerala church slams Yechury‟s remark‟ 2010, Thaindian News, 10 August http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/kerala-church-slams-yechurys-remark_100409626.html – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 3; 4 „Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)‟ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 4. 5 „Syrian Christian of Kerala‟ (undated), Countries and Their Cultures website http://www.everyculture.com/South-Asia/Syrian-Christian-of-Kerala-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 5. 6 „Syrian Christian of Kerala‟ (undated), Countries and Their Cultures website http://www.everyculture.com/South-Asia/Syrian-Christian-of-Kerala-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 5.

Page 1 of 6 district in Kerala has the highest percent of the Christians in India… district has the second largest Christian population in the country, while and [Trivandrum] districts are placed at fourth and fifth place.7

2. Is there any information which indicates that police would arrest persons for being Christian?

No information was found to indicate that police in Kerala would generally arrest persons merely for being Christian. Some recent reports were found of police arresting Christians in Kerala on “false charges”.8 The reports all seem to relate to the arrests of evangelists in one particular district (Wayanand). This appears to be a local dispute between Hindus and evangelist Christians. It should be noted that proselytising and conversion are sensitive issues and can create communal disharmony in religiously pluralistic societies such as India. Although not referring to Kerala specifically, the latest (2008) UK Home Office operational guidance note for India9 states that “the issue of conversion of Hindus or members of lower castes to Christianity remained highly sensitive and resulted in assaults and/or arrests of Christians. However, perpetrators of some of these acts of violence have been traced and prosecuted.”10 According to the most recent advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on the subject of Christians in Kerala, the police provide effective state protection to Christians in Kerala.11 It should also be noted, however, that police corruption is a significant problem in India generally and human rights sources indicate that police officers will sometimes make arrests in return for bribes.12

Christian website Compass Direct reports two recent incidents (April 2010 and August 2009) in which Christians in Kerala were arrested by police on “false charges”.13 The reports all seem to relate to the arrests of evangelicals in one particular district (Wayanand). This appears to be a local dispute between Hindus and evangelist Christians. The reports follow in full.

On 30 April 2010, Compass Direct reported:

7 „43 pc of Keralites are Muslims, Christians‟ 2004, Times of India, 7 September http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/842261.cms – Accessed 10 December 2008 – Attachment 2. 8 „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2010, Compass Direct News, 30 April http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/18393/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 6; „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/8060/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 7. 9 The UK Home Office operational guidance notes evaluate the general, political and human rights situation in each country and provide guidance to UK case officers on the nature and handling of the most common types of claims received from nationals/residents of that country, including whether claims are or are not likely to justify the granting of asylum, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave. 10 UK Home Office 2008, Operational Guidance Note: India, April, p. 10 – Attachment 8 11 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2009, DFAT Report 978 – RRT Information Request IND34424, 6 March – Attachment 9. 12 Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police, 4 August, pp. 9-10 – Attachment 10 13 „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2010, Compass Direct News, 30 April http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/18393/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 6; „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/8060/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 7.

Page 2 of 6 Police on March 29 detained a pastor and an evangelist along with their family members, including a 4-month-old baby, on false charges of denigrating Hindu gods in Ambalavayal police station in Wayanand. The Global Council of Indian Christians reported that the Hindu extremists, accompanied by police officials, stopped the Christians on their way back home after the screening of a gospel film in the Madakara area and started beating them. Pastor Eassow Varghese and Baiju P. George had obtained permission from the villagers to screen the film. The villagers testified that the allegations of the Hindu extremists were baseless. Police also seized the Christians‟ film projector and van. After four hours, the Christians and their family members were released without charges.14

On 31 August 2009, Compass Direct reported:

Police on Aug. 12 arrested Christians based on false allegations of destroying Hindu holy books in , . The Global Council of Indian Christians reported that Hindu extremists of the local Hindu Ikkaya Vedhy group surrounded the house of Karthyani Amma, a Hindu in Laksham colony, near Vythiri police station, as her son – a convert to Christianity identified only as Manikandan – was cleaning her home along with evangelist Sunny Joseph. The extremists created a disturbance, and Christians became embroiled in the subsequent uproar. Amma filed a complaint against the Christians for destroying Hindu holy books and articles used in rituals. The Christians were charged with promoting communal disharmony, house trespass, and damaging property.15

Compass Direct News reports also include recent examples of police assisting Christians.16 In March 2009, DFAT advised that the police provide effective state protection to Christians in Kerala. DFAT states:

The has been effective in tackling the isolated instances (see answer to the next question) of violence targeting Christians throughout the state. Christian groups freely hold meetings and functions throughout the state, an indication of the secure atmosphere ensured by the state police.

…There have been isolated instances of violence against Christians, mainly targeted against some preachers who use extremely critical language against non- Christian gods, practices and faiths. There have been no such instances in the recent past, and where violence has occurred in the past, police have responded effectively in terms of implementing the law of the land (in some of these cases, the attacked Christian preachers have been visiting foreigners without permission to undertake religious activities, in such cases, these preachers have been deported).17

Police corruption is also an acknowledged problem in India. An August 2009 report on policing in India from Human Rights Watch (Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and

14 „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2010, Compass Direct News, 30 April http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/18393/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 6. 15 „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/8060/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 7 16 „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/8060/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 7; „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 March http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/2886/ – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 11. 17 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2009, DFAT Report 978 – RRT Information Request IND34424, 6 March – Attachment 9.

Page 3 of 6 Impunity in the Indian Police) details the many issues facing the police system in India. Relevant here, the report states: “Police officers sometimes make arrests…in return for bribes, or due to political considerations or the influence of powerful local figures”.18 The report further notes that police officers “also admit that they use unlawful coercion, including torture, to elicit confessions to the charges they fabricate.”19

For more information on police corruption in India, see Question 2 of Research Response IND34763, dated 24 April 2009, which collates various sources on the topic.20

3. Updated information on re-location in India for a young educated couple and their child.

Sources indicate that an internal relocation option exists between most states in India. The latest US Department of State (USDOS) human rights report states: “The law provides for freedom of movement, and the government generally respected this in practice, although special permits are required for the northeastern states and parts of Jammu and Kashmir.”21

The UK Home Office operational guidance note for India states that “as a general rule, an internal relocation option exists from one Indian State to another.” Concluding the section on claimants who fear persecution from non-state agents as a consequence of their Christian, Muslim or Hindu religious faith, the Operational Guidance Note: India states:

The Indian constitution guarantees the rights of religious minorities and there are avenues open for individuals to seek protection from the authorities where they experience ill-treatment. Furthermore, there exists the option for those who encounter such difficulties to relocate internally. Therefore, it is unlikely that claimants in this category would qualify for asylum or Humanitarian Protection and such claims are likely to be clearly unfounded. An exception to this may be high-profile religious leaders in very specific and individual circumstances for whom there may not be a sufficiency of protection as detailed above, though these cases are likely to be extremely rare.22

The latest UK Home Office country report on India (January 2010) has a section on internal relocation for from Punjab. Much of the information is relevant for relocation generally. The report states that access to employment is indiscriminate, although dependent upon skill level. The report does note that “there may be isolated instances where an individual feels discriminated against because of a tendency by some firms to employ locally born and educated people.” Access to healthcare and education is indiscriminate, although largely dependent on financial situation as well as proximity to an urban location. The report does note that Muslims (and Sikhs in isolated instances)

18 Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police, 4 August, p. 9 – Attachment 10. 19 Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police, 4 August, p. 10 – Attachment 10. 20 RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34763, 24 April – Attachment 12. 21 US Department of State 2009, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2008 – India, 25 February, Section 2.d – Attachment 13. 22 UK Home Office 2008, Operational Guidance Note: India, April, p. 12 – Attachment 8

Page 4 of 6 experience discrimination in accessing housing, although it does not mention the situation for Christians.23

Language factors There are 22 official languages in India. is the language spoken predominantly in Kerala. Data from the 2001 census gives the main languages spoken state by state.24 It should also be noted that English continues to be a popular and influential means of communication in the government and day-to-day business around India.25

Religion The Census India website gives the following information on which Indian states have a larger Christian population:

Christianity has emerged as the major religion in three North-eastern states, namely, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. Among other states/Uts, Manipur (34.0%), Goa (26.7%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (21.7%), Kerala (19.0%), and Arunachal Pradesh (18.7%) have considerable percentage of Christian population to the total population of the State/UT.26

Attachments

1. Haviland, Charles 2002, „India‟s Christians: Roots and disputes‟, BBC News , 25 December http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2604455.stm - Accessed 1 September 2006.

2. „43 pc of Keralites are Muslims, Christians‟ 2004, Times of India, 7 September http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/842261.cms – Accessed 10 December 2008.

3. „Kerala church slams Yechury‟s remark‟ 2010, Thaindian News, 10 August http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/kerala-church-slams-yechurys- remark_100409626.html – Accessed 25 August 2010.

4. „Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)‟ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by _religious_communities.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010.

5. „Syrian Christian of Kerala‟ (undated), Countries and Their Cultures website http://www.everyculture.com/South-Asia/Syrian-Christian-of-Kerala-Religion-and- Expressive-Culture.html – Accessed 25 August 2010.

23 UK Home Office 2010, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 4 January, Section 20 – Attachment 14. 24 „Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census‟ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009 – Attachment 15. 25 Hohenthal, A. 2003, „English in India: Loyalty and Attitudes‟, Language in India, vol. 3, 5 May http://www.languageinindia.com/may2003/annika.html – Accessed 25 August 2010 – Attachment 16. 26 Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (undated), „Census Data 2001, Census and You, Religion‟, Census India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx – Accessed 15 December 2009 – Attachment 17.

Page 5 of 6 6. „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2010, Compass Direct News, 30 April http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/18393/ – Accessed 25 August 2010.

7. „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/8060/ – Accessed 25 August 2010.

8. UK Home Office 2008, Operational Guidance Note: India, April.

9. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2009, DFAT Report 978 – RRT Information Request IND34424, 6 March.

10. Human Rights Watch 2009, Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police, 4 August.

11. „Recent Incidents of Persecution‟ 2009, Compass Direct News, 31 March http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/2886/ – Accessed 25 August 2010.

12. RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34763, 24 April.

13. US Department of State 2009, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2008 – India, 25 February.

14. UK Home Office 2010, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 4 January.

15. „Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census‟ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009.

16. Hohenthal, A. 2003, „English in India: Loyalty and Attitudes‟, Language in India, vol. 3, 5 May http://www.languageinindia.com/may2003/annika.html – Accessed 25 August 2010.

17. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (undated), „Census Data 2001, Census and You, Religion‟, Census India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx – Accessed 15 December 2009.

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