Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Response Number: IND34470 Country: Date: 2 March 2009

Keywords: India – Punjab – Christians – Political parties – Elections – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – – State protection – Internal relocation

This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein.

Questions

1. What is the current political situation in the Punjab? 2. What is the current situation for Christians in the Punjab? 3. Please provide information about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, and their treatment of Christians (particularly in the Punjab). 4. Is state protection of Christians effective in the Punjab? 5. What information is there about the ability of Christians to relocate outside the Punjab?

RESPONSE

1. What is the current political situation in the Punjab?

After the latest state election held in February 2007, Parkash Singh Badal, leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party, was sworn in for his fourth term as chief minister on 2 March 2007, and a new 117 member unicameral state legislature was born. It consists of 44 Indian National Congress (INC), 49 SAD, 19 (BJP) and 5 Independent members. The Punjab state sends 19 members to the Indian national parliament: 7 to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and 12 to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) (‗Badal sworn in as Punjab CM‘ 2007, Rediff, 2 March http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/02punpoll.htm – Accessed 9 July 2007 – Attachment 1; ‗Punjab (state, India)‘ 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, Encarta website http://encarta.msn.com/text_761554626___0/Punjab_(state_India).html - Accessed 20 February 2009 – Attachment 2; ‗Punjab Vidhan Sabha: Legislative Assembly‘ (undated), Punjab Government website http://punjabassembly.nic.in/members/members.asp?mode=p&page=2 - Accessed 20 February 2009 – Attachment 3 - It appears that this site added an extra member ―Advocate General Punjab‖ to the member list by error. See also Election Commission of India 2007, Statistical Report on General Election, 2007 to the Legislative Assembly of Punjab, Election Commission of India website http://www.eci.gov.in/archive/se2002/Stat_rep_2002_PB.pdf – Accessed 20 February 2009 – Attachment 4).

The state coalition government consists of the two parties, the SAD and the BJP while the opposition is the Indian National Congress party (Congress, INC or Congress I), the dominant national party in Indian politics (Grewal, Sukhminderpal Singh 2009, ‗Elevation of Sukhbir Singh Badal as Deputy Chief Minister is an autocratic, desperate and needless decision of Sardar Prakash Singh Badal‘, N R I internet.com website, 18 January http://www.nriinternet.com/NRIbjp/Indian_Leaders/A_Z/G/Sukhminderpal_Grewal/2009/Jan_ Fab.htm - Accessed 23 February 2009 – Attachment 5; Kapoor, Sukhbir Singh (undated), ‗The Making of Operation Bluestar (1978-1984)‘, All About Sikhs website http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/operation-bluestar/the-making-of-operation-bluestar/print.html – Attachment 6).

The 2008 UK Home Office Country of Information Report describes the three parties as follows:

… Akali Dal also termed as Shiromani Akali Dal

A Sikh party, formed in 1920 and demanding an independent Sikh state. This demand has been dropped since the Punjab peace accord of 1985. Formed an alliance with the BJP in 1997, but lost the Punjab state elections in 2002. Strong performance in the 2004 elections, winning 10 out of 13 seats in Punjab. It is a major player in the northern state of Punjab…

Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party) (BJP)

The leading political party of the 24-party National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governing coalition, which has downplayed its associations since coming to power in 1998 in order to accommodate secular NDA partners. The BJP was formed in 1980 from the former , founded in 1951 as the political wing of the extremist Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), responsible for outbreaks of communal violence in which a mosque was destroyed at . The BJP and its allies (NDA) were routed in a surprise defeat in the 2004 elections. The former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee is viewed as the leading moderate while former deputy PM and current BJP parliamentary leader L.K. Advani fronts the hardline faction...

Indian National Congress (INC)

Party of Indian independence, then of Government for 45 of the following 50 years under Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi (Congress I) and grandson Rajiv Gandhi. Had support throughout India, but suffered massive losses in the North and partially in the West in 1998 and lost the confidence of traditional voters such as Muslims and scheduled castes. Sonia Gandhi, widow of Rajiv Gandhi, took over as President of Congress (I) in April 1998. In December 2003, Congress began actively seeking alliance partners. The 2004 national elections ended governance by the BJP and brought in a new left-leaning coalition Government, the United Progressive Alliance, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after Sonia Gandhi declined the post. The INC with its allies won 217 seats (35.8% of the votes) in the parliamentary election (UK Home Office 2008, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 31 January, Annex B Political Organisations, pp. 157 – 158 – Attachment 7).

In recent years, victories in state elections have alternated between the Indian National Congress party on one side, and the combine of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on the other side (‗Badal sworn in as Punjab CM‘ 2007, Rediff, 2 March http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/02punpoll.htm – Accessed 9 July 2007 – Attachment 1; UK Home Office 2008, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 31 January, pp. 15-16 – Attachment 7).

As to the state government structure and the relationship between the branches of the government, the Punjab government website notes that:

… The legislative wing of the State is the House of People or the Vidhan Sabha. Punjab has an unicameral legislature, having abolished the upper house, the Vidhan Parishad in the ‗60s. The chief minister and members of his cabinet are members of the legislature and they are at the top of the executive wing of the government and are accountable to the legislature. As elsewhere, the MLAs, or Members of the Legislative Assembly, wield considerable influence over policy- making and implementation, more so because they are members of District level Planning and Grievance Committees set up by the government in each district.

Local government

The system of local government consists of Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Notified Area Committees in urban areas. Their main source of revenue is octroi and their main administrative functions are conservancy, local health laws, and approving building plans in their local jurisdiction, In rural areas, there is the usual set up of village panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads though, in practice, they do not wield administrative or legal powers of any consequence. Unlike in states such as Karnataka or Maharashtra, local government cannot be said to be highly developed in Punjab.

The judiciary

The judiciary and the executive are separated in Punjab as in other states in the country. However, the state shares a common High Court with the state of Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh (‗Government – Overview‘ (undated), Government of Punjab website http://punjabgovt.nic.in/GOVERNMENT/GOVERNMENT1.HTM – Accessed 4 March 2008 – Attachment 8).

Currently the state politicians are preoccupied with preparing for the national parliamentary elections due to be held in a few months (‗BJP forms campaign panels‘ 2009, The Tribune, 24 February http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090224/punjab.htm#5 - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 9; ‗Dr. D.S Cheema to SAD-BJP alliance candidate in coming Lok Sabha elections‘ 2009, Punjab Newsline Network, 15 January http://punjabnewsline.com/content/view/14866/38/ - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 10).

It appears that under the Indian federalism, the central government exercises a dominant influence in the state political scene. The Punjab's Congress government was dismissed on 6 October 1983 and President's rule was imposed. Punjab was then declared a 'Disturbed Area' giving the police unlimited powers of arrest and detention (Kapoor, Sukhbir Singh (undated), ‗The Making of Operation Bluestar (1978-1984)‘, All About Sikhs website http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/operation-bluestar/the-making-of-operation-bluestar/print.html – Attachment 6).

Another example of the close nexus between the central (union) and state governments is found in the case of the Sikh demand for autonomy for the state. It was discussed between a Union Minister and Secretary General of the SAD first and the implementation was proposed to be considered in the state assembly (‗SAD may table autonomy draft‘ 2000, The Tribune, 10 July http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000710/punjab.htm#1 - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 11).

Referring to the main problems Punjab faces, a GlobalSecurity.org website article comments that:

The problems that arose in Punjab were due to the religion-based elements who sought to widen the communal divide between the Sikhs and other communities for their political ends... Sikhs form a religious and cultural community of some 16 million, less than 2% of the Indian population. Some 80% of Sikhs live in Punjab where they form the majority (about two thirds) of the inhabitants... (‗Military: Sikhs in Punjab‘ (undated), GlobalSecurity.org website http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/punjab.htm - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 12).

It also refers to the bloody confrontations between Sikhs and Delhi that resulted in the loss of a few thousand lives in the 1980s (‗Military: Sikhs in Punjab‘ (undated), GlobalSecurity.org website http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/punjab.htm - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 12).

As to Sikh militancy that dominated the state and national politics, and the subsequent changes, the 2008 UK Home Office Country of Origin Information Report: India comments that:

BBC News reported on 16 March 2005 in an article entitled ―The fading of Sikh militancy‖, over two decades after the militancy period began in Punjab, the divide between Sikhs and Hindus has been bridged and the antagonism with the Congress party largely disappeared. ―The elevation last year of Manmohan Singh as India‘s first Sikh prime minister was the culmination in the changing relations. ‗The alienation between the Sikhs and Congress is a distant memory now. The ground realities are very different now,‘ according to analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. In the 1999 general elections the Congress led in Punjab over its rivals the Akali Dal. Two years ago, the Congress convincingly won the state elections in Punjab, dislodging the Akali Dal from power (UK Home Office 2008, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 31 January, p 83 – Attachment 7).

Despite the comparative peace in recent years, the Punjab state witnessed several terrorist- related incidents in 2007 as illustrated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal‘s ‗Punjab Timeline – 2008‘. It states in its 6 March entry that:

March 6 - Remnants of Sikh militants abroad are helping attempts to revive an insurgency in Punjab, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh warned in a letter obtained on March 5, AFP reported (‗Punjab Timeline – 2008‘ 2008, South Asia Terrorism Portal website http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/timelines/index.html – Accessed 4 March 2008 – Attachment 13).

Of particular interest is its March 21 entry referring to Jalandhar. The entry notes that:

In a follow-up to the December 31, 2007-arrest of four BKI militants, the Delhi Police on March 20 claimed to have arrested two others of the same group from Jalandhar in Punjab. Deputy Commissioner (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said Jaswant Singh alias Kala (31) and Surender Singh alias Fauji (22) were arrested on March 19 near Sutlej bridge in Jalandhar. One .30 Star make pistol and one .22 Star make pistol with 11 live cartridges were recovered from them. While Kala hails from Muktsar, Fauji is a native of Jalandhar in Punjab, he said (‗Punjab Timeline – 2008‘ 2008, South Asia Terrorism Portal website http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/timelines/index.html – Accessed 4 March 2008 – Attachment 13).

Another report on the South Asia Terrorism Portal comments that:

The north-west Indian State of Punjab remained peaceful through 2007, though it was marred by a single and significant terrorist strike at Ludhiana in October. This is the 14th consecutive year the State has remained relatively free of major political violence after the widespread terrorist-secessionist movement for ‗Khalistan‘ was comprehensively defeated in 1993 (‗Punjab Assessment – Year 2008‘ 2008, South Asia Terrorism Portal website http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/index.html – Accessed 4 March 2008 – Attachment 14).

However, there were several minor clashes between political parties and religious organizations, especially during the election periods in Punjab.

A Thaindian News article of 30 June 2008 reports that there were widespread clashes, mainly between Akali and Congress, during recent local government elections in Punjab (‗Akali-BJP combine claims victory in violence marred civic polls‘ 2008, Thaindian News, 30 June http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/akali-bjp-combine-claims-victory-in-violence- marred-civic-polls-lead_10066328.html – Accessed 4 July 2008 – Attachment 15).

Another report from The Tribune of March 2007 comments that:

The election [to be held on 11 March 2007] was postponed due to violence between supporters of Congress and SAD that led to the killing of one Akali supporter on January 29 (Bumbroo, S. 2007, ‗Dimpa‘s bail plea gone; campaign on‘, The Tribune, 7 March http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070307/punjab1.htm – Accessed 7 March 2008 – Attachment 16).

Recent RRT research responses address the topic under consideration and provide additional reports on violent clashes in the state (RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33034, 13 March (Q1) – Attachment 17; and RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33442, 4 July (Q2 & 3) – Attachment 18).

2. What is the current situation for Christians in the Punjab? 3. Please provide information about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, and their treatment of Christians (particularly in the Punjab). 4. Is state protection of Christians effective in the Punjab?

These questions are discussed in two parts: Three Hindu Groups; and Current Situation, State Protection and Treatment of Christians.

Three Hindu Groups - RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal

In its 2002 publication, Human Rights Watch comments on the three Hindu groups as follows:

…The RSS was founded in the city of Nagpur in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar with the mission of creating a Hindu state. Since its founding, it has propagated a militant form of which it promotes as the sole basis for national identity in India. According to the RSS, the leaders of India‘s nationalist movement and those of post- independence India failed to create a nation based on Hindu culture. Western thought and civilization are perceived as enemies of Hindu culture. Religions such as Islam and Christianity are depicted as alien to India, as they are seen as the religions of foreign invaders? the Mughals and the British. The RSS wanted ―the entire gamut of social life‖ to be designed ―on the rock bed of Hindu nationalism,‖ a goal that inspired the creation of RSS political, social, and educational wings, a family of organizations that is now referred to collectively as the .

The VHP was formed in 1964 to cover the social aspects of RSS activities. The VHP organizes and communicates the RSS message to Hindus living outside India and holds conferences for Hindu religious leaders from all over the country. The most publicized of the VHP‘s activities was its campaign to build a temple to the Hindu god Ram at the site of the Babri Masjid, a mosque in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The VHP, along with the other sangh parivar organizations, claimed that the site of the mosque was actually the birthplace of Ram and that a temple at that site had been destroyed in order to build the mosque. On December 6, 1992, the mosque was demolished by members of the VHP, the Bajrang Dal, and RSS-trained cadres. The police did not intervene. The incident sparked violence around the country in which thousands were killed. Since then, the VHP has also organized a program to reconvert those who had converted from to other faiths.

The Bajrang Dal is the militant youth wing of the VHP. It was formed in 1984 during the Babri Masjid conflict, in order to mobilize youth for the Ayodhya campaign. A young women‘s association, the Durga Vahini, was also founded at this time. Unlike other organizations affiliated to the RSS, the Bajrang Dal is not directly controlled by the sangh parivar. With its loose organizational structure, it initially operated under different names in different states. Its activists are believed to be involved in many acts of violence carried out by Hindutva organizations, including the spate of attacks against the Christian community in India that began in 1998 (Human Rights Watch 2002, ―We Have No Orders to Save You”: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat, April, Vol.14, No.3 (c), pp 39 – 40 – Attachment 19).

‗A political introduction to India‘ by T. Harrison et al explains the relationship between the BJP and the RSS as follows:

Formed in 1980 as a breakaway group from the Janata Party, the BJP is a Hindu nationalist party and currently the main political opponent of Congress at the national level. The BJP leads a loose opposition coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance. It is closely linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (National Volunteers‘ Union, or RSS). The RSS, which has been banned twice in its history, was formed in 1925 as a mass movement for the promotion and propagation of Hindu culture and values …

The RSS is seen by many as the head of the Sangh Parivar and, although its support for the BJP is not unconditional, its over 4.5 million members provide the party with a grassroots cadre that most of the other newer political parties lack. Collectively, the organisations of the Sangh Parivar espouse a Hindu nationalist agenda based upon the concept of ‗Hindutva‘, which views India as a Hindu nation that should be run according to Hindu precepts (Harrison, T., et al 2007, ‗A political introduction to India‘, International Affairs and Defence Section – House of Commons Library, UK Parliament website, 2 May, pp 17 & 49 http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2007/rp07-041.pdf – Accessed 11 October 2007 – Attachment 20). A 2004 publication by the Awaaz – South Asia Watch, ‗In Bad Faith? British Charity and Hindu Extremism‘ explains the RSS‘s role under the heading of ‗the Sangh Parivar‘ and its relationship with the two other Hindu groups as follows:

THE SANGH PARIVAR

The RSS has created a range of affiliated organizations in India called the ‗sangh parivar‘ or the RSS ‗family‘. The most important of these organizations are:

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP – World Hindu Council), formed in 1964 by RSS activists and Madhav Golwalkar (the second RSS supreme leader).The VHP has grown tremendously since the 1980s and has both a national (Indian) and an international structure (Vishwa Hindu Parishad International / VHP Overseas). It also has a youth wing, the extremely violent Bajrang Dal, a women‘s wing (the Durga Vahini), associated organizations such as the Hindu Jagran Manch (Forum for Hindu Awakening), and a variety of other service, religious and social sections.The RSS Supreme Leader is also a member of the VHP‘s ‗Council of the Learned‘ and executive body.The VHP has been at the absolute forefront of mass violent Hindutva movements, such as the ‗Ramjanmabhoomi‘movement to destroy the sixteenth-century Babri mosque at Ayodhya and build a Ram temple in its place, the campaign for ‗the liberation of Krishnajanmasthan‘ at Mathura in which the VHP wishes to destroy mosques near a Krishna temple, the Kashi Vishwanath campaign,, in which the VHP wants mosque buildings near a shrine to be removed, the Bhojshala campaign, , in which the VHP wants shrines and mosques used for a joint Hindu-Muslim tradition of worship at a Saraswati shrine to be destroyed. Of the Gujarat carnage, the VHP said that it was an experiment that had to be repeated across India.The VHP and its associated organization the Hindu Jagran Manch, and the extremely violent VHP youth wing, the Bajrang Dal took the lead in the systematic attack on Christian communities in Gujarat from 1997, which reached a peak of brutality in 1998–1999.

Bajrang Dal (’s Army) is the extremely violent and fanatical youth wing of the VHP.The Bajrang Dal works through terror and intimidation of minorities and secular opponents. It has been consistently involved and implicated in acts of violence, terror and murder, including many of the killings during the Gujarat violence in 2002.The Bajrang Dal are the shocktroops of Hindutva … (Awaaz – South Asia Watch 2004, ‗In Bad Faith? British Charity and Hindu Extremism‘. Awaaz – South Asia Watch website, p 61 http://www.awaazsaw.org/ibf/ibflores.pdf – Accessed 21 February 2006 – Attachment 21).

The RRT research response IND17817 provides information on the origin and history of the RSS (RRT Country Research 2006, Research Response IND17817, 1 March - see Q 1 & 3) – Attachment 22). Another response explains the RSS, particularly in relation to the Gujarat state (RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34298, 13 February (Q1) – Attachment 23).

Current Situation, State Protection and Treatment of Christians

Referring to the treatment of Christians by the right-wing Hindu groups in India, Amnesty International noted in 2001 that:

International attention continued to focus on violence against Christian minorities but victims of apparently state-backed violence in several areas included Muslims, dalits and adivasis (tribal people). Concerns about discrimination based on religion, particularly directed at members of the Christian community, were heightened by statements made by members of right-wing Hindu groups which appeared to encourage the use of violence. Attacks on members of Christian communities and church property continued (Amnesty International 2001, Annual Report 2001 – India – Attachment 24).

Commenting on the Hindu groups responsible for the violence in Gujarat, Human Rights Watch states that:

The Hindu organizations considered most responsible for the violence in Gujarat are the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS], which along with the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] collectively form the sangh parivar (Human Rights Watch 2002, ―We Have No Orders to Save You”: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat, April, Vol.14, No.3 (c), pp 39 – 40 – Attachment 19).

A recent RRT research response discusses violence between Hindus and Christians, state protection and treatment of Christians in Punjab (RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34243, 30 January – Attachment 25). It quotes Compass Direct News describing 2007 as the most violent year for Christians in India (US Department of State 2008, International Religious Freedom Report – India, September, Section III – Attachment 26).

It appears that Christians suffer difficulties at the hand of fundamentalist Hindus, and state protection is not always reliable and effective in Punjab. To give details of the nature and extent of violence against Christians in Punjab and the government reaction, the above response lists the following reports:

Until recently, members of BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena and VHP would either attack Christians directly or use the media to accuse the Christians of Conversion. But since the formation of the coalition government between Akali Dal (B) and BJP in Punjab, they have started using some of the members of the Sikh Community against Christians. On 10 September 2008, the police arrested a local evangelist Bahadur Giri along with two Christians Daljeet and Malkait Singh under Section 295A on charges of burning the Sikh Holy Scriptures. After five days of police custody the three were bailed out on 15 September 2008, but a case has been registered against them in the court. On 16 September 2008, another Christian convert Balkaran Singh was arrested under the above mentioned charges without any proof whatsoever. Later he was released on bail. Around 30 pastors from different districts of Punjab met the District Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of District Bathinda and submitted a memorandum stating cases of Christians being falsely implicated (All India Christian Council 2008, ‗New attacks in Orissa, Karnataka, Punjab, and Kerala‘, All India Christian Council website, 21 September http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/2406/45/ - Accessed 22 January 2009 – Attachment 27).

Bajrang Dal activists converted a Christian church into a gurudwara in Lehragaga of Sangrur district of Punjab on April 10, 2007. Later Sikh leaders came to the rescue of the Christians. Sources told the All India Christian Council (AICC) that Pastor Malok Singh from Lehragaga was falsely accused of rape by Bajrang Dal activists. He was arrested under 109 section of the India Penal Code (IPC) and remained in jail until he was bailed out on April 18, 2007. In connection with the allegation against Pastor Singh, Bajrang Dal activists numbering over 100 came and attacked the church. The AICC was told that church furniture was broken and musical instruments were stolen, A Granth Sahib (Sikh religious scripture) was placed inside the church, holy reading of Granth Sahib was conducted, and church signboard was changed into Gurudwara Sahib. It has also been reported that Bibles were torn inside the church and large number of Christian literature was taken by two lorries to undisclosed place and reportedly burned. A source said that Sikh leaders along with police personnel restored the church by removing the Granth Sahib placed inside the church. Church members have filed a complaint against the Bajrang Dal activists at Lehragaga Police Station for provoking enmity among two religions of Christianity and Sikhism. The complaint against the culprits was lodged under the IPC sections 295, 452, 447, 506, 148, and 149 on April 11, 2007. Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr. Balraj Singh reported to the AICC that the District Magistrate has set up an enquiry commission under the leadership of Sunam Sub-Divisional Magistrate to submit a report within two weeks. No arrests of Bajrang Dal activists have been reported, while pastor Singh was arrested within short time of the complaint against him (All India Christian Council 2007, ‗Hindutva Forces Convert Church into Gurudwara in Punjab: Sikh leaders come to the rescue of Christians‘, All India Christian Council website, 10 April http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1279/42/ - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 28).

The accused three pastors from Bathinda in Punjab have been sent to judicial custody after producing them in the court 12 March 2007. As the case has been booked under section 326, 307, they cannot have bail for 90 days. Only the High Court can overrule and release them on bail. Meanwhile the Government of Punjab transferred both DSP and SI for providing protection to Christians. Disturbed by the development, the Christian community has appealed to All India Christian Council (aicc) to do the needful to get the three Pastors released on bail. It may be recalled the three Pastors were arrested and charged with attempts on the lives of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists at Bathinda in Punjab. Fifteen women were having a prayer service in Pastor Amit Sidhu‘s home in Bathinda on 10 March 2007 when a group of VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders came and asked them to stop. The matter was brought to the attention of other local Christians, resulting in a clash with VHP and Bajrang Dal activists. The sources said a VHP activist was severely injured and later Pastor Kulwan Raj, Chootta Singh and Harfool Singh were booked with an attempt on the lives of VHP activists. On the following day, Vijay Bhardwaj, general secretary of VHP, and Sumit Kumar, co- coordinator of Bajrang Dal, led a group 50 Hindutva activists and tried to attack the occupants of Pastor Amit Sidhu‘s house. The police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, resulting in some of them getting injured (All India Christian Council 2007, ‗Three Pastors sent to jail in Punjab‘, 12 March http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/736/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 29).  A recent anti-Christian incident occurred in Punjab, in northwest India where 15 GFA Bible students were attacked by about 40 militants on March 26 [2007]. The Christian students had refused to stop sharing the Gospel in their village despite extremists threatening them to stop (Riley, Jennifer 2007, ‗Persecution in India Rises with Increased Hindu-Christian Conversions‘, The Christian Post , 5 April http://www.christianpost.com/Intl/Persecution/2007/04/persecution-in-india-rises-with- increased-hindu-christian-conversions-05/index.html – Attachment 30).

The worst episodes of anti-Christian violence occurred in Punjab and Chhatisgarh, where Hindu nationalist groups have threatened those who celebrate the birth of Christ... In Punjab, local police arrested a pastor from the Good Shepherd Community Churches, releasing him after warning him of serious consequences ―if he celebrated Christmas speaking about Christ.‖ Two other Protestant leaders received the same treatment. They were arrested on December 23 and released the next day after they were warned ―not to preach the Gospel anymore‖. For the All India Christian Council, these ―are but a few examples because it is impossible to report every episode of violence and persecution that have taken place in this period‖ (‗INDIA: Indian Christians suffer persecution on Christmas day‘ 2006, AisaNews.it, 28 December http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8103# - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 31).

The radical Hindu groups VHP and Bajrang Dal attacked a Pastor in Punjab this weekend. On March 10th, four persons were injured following an attack on Christians by Hindu radicals in Bathinda district in the state of Punjab. In Gobin Pura village, in Bathinda district of Punjab, a prayer meeting was convoked at the house of a Sikh convert to Christianity. VHP and the Bajrang Dal activists instigated the local village gurdwara to oppose this prayer meeting and they connived together, making false allegations of forcible conversion. The Saffron brigade alleged the pastors were forcing poor Dalit families to convert. Under pressure, the prayer meeting was cancelled (International Christian Concern 2007, 'Punjab Hindu radicals attack Christians and shut down prayer service', Persecution.org website, 3 November http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newsdetail.php?newscode=4768 - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 32).

[...] in the northeastern state of Punjab where Hindu militants forced the cancellation of a prayer meeting, after attacking the Christians, the GCIC [Global Council of Indian Christians] said. At least four people were injured in the attack in Gobin Pura village in Punjab‘s Bathinda district, Indian Christians said (‗Indian Hindu Militants Burn Down Church, Attack Pastors ‘ 2007, Worthy News , 15 March http://www.worthynews.com/1297-indian-hindu- militants-burn-down-church-attack-pastors - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 33).

In June 2000 [...] A Christian pastor, Rev Masih, is murdered in northern Punjab state; the Punjab Christian Association says that this is part of a concerted campaign by Hindu militants against Christians in the area (Christian Solidarity Worldwide 2002, ‗India‘, Christian Solidarity Worldwide website http://www.cswusa.com/Countries/India.htm - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 34).

[...] a village near Bhatinda, Govindpura [in Punjab] on 12.3.2007 where a socially segregated community of Dalits were holding a peaceful congregation. They were doing bible reading from bibles translated into good, simple, spoken Punjabi in rural Punjab. In came the right- wing Hindu goon's of the Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena and Vishav Hindu Parishid, the attack force of the RSS and its political wing the BJP. They kicked the bibles out of the hands of the congregation, tore their literature, and spilt their broth, made with their hard earned money by working as labourers. They were beaten and humiliated—mainly the women folk. They were attacked by the right-wing Hindus belonging to the Vishav Hindu Parishid (VHP) leader Vijay Bhardwaj along with Bajrang Dal Sunil Kumar who falsely accused them of conversion of other villagers to Christianity [...] This same gang of Hindu goons had, after disturbing and disrupting the Christian gathering at close by village Govindpura, proceeded to this city, surrounded the house of the pastor, were in the process of setting it on fire and roasting the small Christian community within alive in the same manner as their extremist Hindu organization had set ablaze an Australian Christian missionary and his three sons while they slept in their van in far away Orissa. Luckily a plucky Station House Officer, a Sikh Inspector of Police Gurjit Singh Ramana sensing trouble rushed to the spot whereby these Hindu scalawags fled. Soon enough the Inspector of Police was transferred from that police station from orders of Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal [...] on 17 April 2007 [...] in a southern town of this district the Vishav Hindu Parishad and Bajring Dal Hindu goons descended in a mob to the local Christian church, beat up the Christian gathering, tore the bibles and mischiefly placed the Sikh Holy Scripture the Guru Granth Sahib in the Church. Our local party leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Pargat Singh sensing trouble, immediately along with other party cadres reached the church under attack, chased away the Hindu goons and respectfully restored the holy Guru Granth Sahib to the Gurdwara from where these ultra nationalist Hindu's had forcibly carried it to the church [...] Hushiarpore where on 14.11.2007 Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal cadres went wild and fanatic Hindu ultra's burst into a marriage palace where the Christian community was holding a peaceful congregation. They thrashed the faithful and the pastor and made them flee the hall, with many Christian ladies leaving the premises so hurriedly that they left their bags and shoes behind (Mann, Simranjit Singh 2007, ‗Christians and Muslims under attack in Punjab‘, The Panthic Weekly , 21 November http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/3693/2007- 11-21.html# - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 35).

Religious press outlets reported that on April 16, 2006, in Bathinda, Punjab, a group of approximately five Hindu extremists led by the RSS broke up an Easter Day event at the home of a member of the "House of Prayer," an independent Christian denomination, warning its members not to hold further meetings and vandalizing some of the property. When the pastor attempted to register a FIR, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) reprimanded him for his Christian activities and told him that he required permission from the district magistrate to hold this event. On May 4, 2006, after Delhi All-India Christian Council (AICC) leaders contacted the superintendent, he recanted and permitted the services. Two Shiv Sena members and another man were arrested for the raid, but were released the same day (US Department of State 2006, International Religious Freedom Report: India, 15 September, Section II – Attachment 36; See also ‗INDIA: Police investigate Easter attack on Church in Punjab, India‘ 2006, Compass Direct, 9 May – Attachment 37).

Duggalwala village, Taran Taran district, 2 July: church attacked in presence of police - A mob of 20 people, reportedly led by Pyara Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Bachitar Singh and Ajayab Singh, entered the church in Duggalwala village [in Punjab] during its Sunday service, ransacking the building and physically assaulting a number of the worshippers. Among those injured were Pastor Bagh Masih and a member of the congregation, Mr Bakshish, who was hospitalised. Later that night, around 50 men went to the hospital where Mr Bakshish was being treated, threatened him with death if he did not leave the hospital and then forcibly removed him. Pastor Bagh Masih had been receiving threats demanding that he leave the church. The attack took place in the presence of police, who had been deployed following a High Court order to ensure the protection of the Christians, but they failed to intervene. Subsequently, police officers allegedly passed on a false report to their superiors, and refused to file an FIR. No action was taken against the perpetrators (Christian Solidarity Worldwide [undated], ‗Briefing: India: Religious Discrimination and Violence against Christians‘ - Annual Report 2006, p 36 – Attachment 38).

[... ] on 16 April 2006, a group of men belonging to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal led by one Sukhpal Singh came to Pastor Kulwanth Singh‘s home when they were celebrating Easter. They forced them to stop all the worship services [...] Pastor Singh informed the matter to other Christian leaders in the town and then went to Railway Police Station to file a First Information Report (FIR). When Station House Officer (SHO) Gurjeet Singh refused to oblige them, they approached Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Birendra Kumar. Instead of coming to the rescue of the Pastor and his people, the officer reprimanded him for carrying out Christian activities. Birendra Kumar asked the Pastor to get permission from the District Collector to have the Christian Satsang. However soon after reporting to the police, two RSS and Bajrang Dal activists were arrested, only to be released on bail the same day. Christian leaders of Bathinda [in Punjab] tried to meet Birendra Kumar thereafter but he refused to meet them under one pretext or the other. Pastor Singh and other Christian leaders went to the office of the police official on 2 May 2006. No sooner had they arrived than Birendra Kumar walked away. On 3 May 2006, Pastor Singh and other Christian leaders went once again to the office of SSP and waited for hours to meet the police official but in vain (All India Christian Council 2006, ‗Hindu extremists stop Christian worship gathering in Punjab‘, All India Christian Council website, 5 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/912/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 39).

Accusing the pastor of an independent church in the northern state of Punjab of ―forcible conversion‖ [to Christianity from Hinduism], an Indian woman from Canada and three unidentified youths on February 8 beat the Christian leader so severely that he required hospital treatment (Arora, Vishal 2006, ‗INDIA: Pastor beaten for ‗forcible conversion‘ in Punjab‘, Compass Direct, 22 February – Attachment 40).

Hindu extremists, instead beat them in jail. At least 40 Christians were praying at a home in Maloud the night of September 25 when a mob, including members of the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal, stormed the house. The mob threatened the Christians and beat some of them. The believers called the police, and four of them – Gurdev Singh, Balkaran Singh, Jaswant Singh and Amar Singh, a pastor – were taken into custody, as the mob had grown increasingly violent. At the police station, however, Hukum Chand Sharma, assistant sub- inspector of the Maloud Police station, repeatedly struck the Christians, gravely injuring Gurdev Singh and Amar Singh. He later also beat a 60-year-old pastor, Sukhdev Singh, who was later hospitalized with serious injuries (Lal, Vijayesh 2005, ‗INDIA: Police beat Christians in Punjab State, India, Compass Direct, 3 October – Attachment 41) (RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34243, 30 January – Attachment 25).

In December 2008, Compass Direct News notes that:

Punjab – Hindu extremists from the Bajrang Dal on Dec. 2 attacked two Operation Mobilization (OM) workers in Sangur. The Evangelical Fellowship of India reported that the extremists attacked Pani Garhi and Kiran Bhai as they were distributing gospel tracts in the area. OM men‘s team leader Imocha Naorem told Compass that the extremists took the Christians to the police station after verbally abusing and slapping them. Police refused to file a complaint but gave a stern warning to the extremists not to disturb the Christians again (Sailo, Mahruaii and Carvalho, Nirmala 2008, ‗India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution‘, Compass Direct News, December – Attachment 42). Other factors affecting the effectiveness of state protection are corruption, the civilian authorities‘ poor control over security forces and their politicization in India. The US Department of State comments that:

… security forces occasionally acted independently of government authority during incidents of communal tensions in states such as Karnataka … The government generally respected the rights of its citizens; however, serious problems remained. Major problems included extrajudicial killings of persons in custody, disappearances, and torture and rape by police and other security forces. Investigations into individual abuses and legal punishment for perpetrators occurred, but for the majority of abuses, the lack of accountability created an atmosphere of impunity... Corruption existed at all levels of government and police... Increasing attacks against religious minorities and the promulgation of antireligious conversion laws were concerns (US Department of State 2009, 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – India, February, Introduction – Attachment 43).

The above reports indicate that the state government made some efforts to protect Christians but they were not effective and the police officers failed to act in a manner expected of them (eg, All India Christian Council 2007, ‗Three Pastors sent to jail in Punjab‘, All India Christian Council website, 12 March http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/736/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 29; Lal, Vijayesh 2005, ‗INDIA: Police beat Christians in Punjab State, India, Compass Direct, 3 October – Attachment 41; All India Christian Council 2006, ‗Hindu extremists stop Christian worship gathering in Punjab‘ All India Christian Council website, 5 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/912/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009 – Attachment 39).

The Asian Centre for Human Rights also documented several cases of extrajudicial and custodial killing of civilians by police in Punjab during 2006 (UK Home Office 2008, Country of origin information report: India, 12 August – Attachment 44).

For further details on the nexus of corruption and state protection in Punjab, see a 2008 RRT Research Response (RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33422, 24 June (Q4) – Attachment 45).

5. What information is there about the ability of Christians to relocate outside the Punjab?

In the sources consulted, little information has been located regarding Christians having difficulties in relocating outside the state.

The US Department of State 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – India comments on freedom of movement in India as follows:

The law provides for freedom of movement, and the government generally respected this in practice; however, in certain border areas the government required special permits. Security forces often searched and questioned occupants at vehicle checkpoints, mostly in troubled areas in the Kashmir Valley or after major terrorist attacks. The government also completed construction (except in areas of difficult terrain) of a 330-mile security fence along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, causing difficulties as it cut through some villages and agricultural lands. The government asserted that a decline in insurgent crossings during the year was due in part to the fence.

Under the Passports Act of 1967, the government may deny a passport to any applicant who may engage in activities outside of the country "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation." The government prohibited foreign travel by some government critics, especially those advocating Sikh independence, and members of the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir.

Unlike in previous years, there were no reports of the government using the issuance of passports or travel documents to restrict travel of separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. However, citizens from Jammu and Kashmir continued to face extended delays, often up to two years, before the Ministry of External Affairs would issue or renew their passports. Government officials demanded bribes for applicants from Jammu and Kashmir who required special clearances. Applicants born in Jammu and Kashmir–-even the children of serving military officers born during their parents' deployment in the state-–were subjected to additional scrutiny, requests for bribes, and police clearances prior to passport issuance.

There was no law banning forced exile and no reports of its use during the year (US Department of State 2009, 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – India, February, Section 2 (d) – Attachment 43).

Commenting on the internal relocation for Sikhs, the 2008 UK Home Office Country of origin information report: India states that:

... an Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) of Canada Response to Information Request, dated 18 January 2006... continued ―Citizens are not required to register their faith in India.... There were no checks on a newcomer to any part of India arriving from another part of India, even if the person is a Punjabi Sikh. Local police forces have neither the resources nor the language abilities to perform background checks on people arriving from other parts of India. There is no system of registration of citizens, and often people have no identity cards, which in any event can be easily forged ...

The Danish Immigration Service fact-finding mission to Punjab, dated March to April 2000, noted ―The Director of the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre believed that a high-profile person would not be able to move elsewhere in India without being traced, but that this would be possible for low-profile people.‖ Sources from foreign diplomatic missions in India considered that there was no reason to believe that someone who has or has had problems in Punjab would not be able to reside elsewhere in India. Reference was made to the fact that the authorities in Delhi are not informed about those wanted in Punjab...

Sikhs would have unlimited access to housing in localities outside Punjab state to whatever extent they could afford it, as the main factor limiting access to housing is financial rather than religion, according to two sources consulted by the Canadian IRB in their response dated 18 January 2006...

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. Sikhs would also have indiscriminate access to health care in states outside of Punjab although access depends largely on their financial situation and their proximity to an urban location. It was also agreed by two sources that Sikhs would have access to education outside of Punjab and again poverty is the main obstacle to education and proximity to an urban area affects the availability of education. (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 18 January 2006) (UK Home Office 2008, Country of origin information report: India, 12 August. pp 70 - 72 – Attachment 44).

Of interest in this regard is a 2002 decision by the UK Immigration Appeal Tribunal. In connection with the appeal by the Secretary of State for the UK Home Department regarding an Indian Catholic Christian who sought protection in the UK, the Tribunal decided that the option of internal relocation is available to him in India (UK Immigration Appeal Tribunal 2002, Secretary of State for the Home Department v. WF (Internal Relocation - Christian) India, UNHCR Refworld website, 15 October http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,GBR_AIT,,IND,4562d8cf2,46836ac90,0.html - Accessed 2 March 2009 – Attachment 46).

A 2003 DFAT report comments that:

Indian citizens have the freedom to relocate from one area of India to another, with two exceptions: in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Indian citizens from other states are not allowed to buy property, but can stay in any part of the state without seeking official permission. Indian citizens who are not residents of the particular area are required to obtain a permit to visit some border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and border areas in the north-eastern states of India. The permits are valid for six months. Indian citizens who have been arrested and released on bail are required to report regularly to local police authorities. In these instances judicial permission is required to relocate to another part of the country (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2003, DFAT Report No. 254 -India RRT Information Request IND16042, 13 October – Attachment 47).

A recent RRT research response comments on the issue in connection with internal relocation for Sikhs (RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33034, 13 March (Q3) – Attachment 17).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources: Government Information & Reports Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada http://www.irb- cisr.gc.ca/en/research/index_e.htm UK Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ US Department of State http://www.state.gov/ CIA Factbook https://www.cia.gov/ United Nations (UN) UNHCR http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home Non-Government Organisations Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/ Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/ International News & Politics BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk Daily India http://www.dailyindia.com/ Daily Times http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/ Economic Times http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ Globe and Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ Punjab Newsline http://punjabnewsline.com/ Hindustan Times http://www.hindustantimes.com/ India Daily http://www.indiadaily.com/ India Today http://www.india-today.com/itoday/ Khaleej Times http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Index00.asp rediff.com http://in.rediff.com/index.html The Telegraph http://www.telegraphindia.com/ The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ The Tribune http://www.tribuneindia.com/ Yahoo India News http://in.news.yahoo.com/ CBC News http://www.cbc.ca The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life http://pewforum.org/ Search Engines Google http://www.google.com.au/ Copernic http://www.copernic.com/

Databases: Public FACTIVA Reuters Business Briefing DIAC BACIS Country Information CISINFO DIAC Research Responses CISLIB CIS Library Catalogue REFINFO IRBDC Research Responses (Canada) UNHCR REFWORLD UNHCR Refugee Information CD-ROM MRT-RRT ISYS RRT Country Research database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. MRT-RRT Library Catalogue

List of Attachments

1. ‗Badal sworn in as Punjab CM‘ 2007, Rediff, 2 March http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/mar/02punpoll.htm – Accessed 9 July 2007.

2. ‗Punjab (state, India)‘ 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, Encarta website http://encarta.msn.com/text_761554626___0/Punjab_(state_India).html - Accessed 20 February 2009.

3. ‗Punjab Vidhan Sabha: Legislative Assembly‘ (undated), Punjab Government website http://punjabassembly.nic.in/members/members.asp?mode=p&page=2 - Accessed 20 February 2009.

4. Election Commission of India 2007, ‗Statistical Report on General Election, 2007, to the Legislative Assembly of Punjab‘, Election Commission of India website http://www.eci.gov.in/archive/se2002/Stat_rep_2002_PB.pdf – Accessed 29 May 2003.

5. Grewal, Sukhminderpal Singh 2009, ‗Elevation of Sukhbir Singh Badal as Deputy Chief Minister is an autocratic, desperate and needless decision of Sardar Prakash Singh Badal‘, N R I internet.com website, 18 January http://www.nriinternet.com/NRIbjp/Indian_Leaders/A_Z/G/Sukhminderpal_Grewal/20 09/Jan_Fab.htm - Accessed 23 February 2009.

6. Kapoor, Sukhbir Singh (undated), ‗The Making of Operation Bluestar (1978-1984)‘, All About Sikhs website http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/operation-bluestar/the-making- of-operation-bluestar/print.html - Accessed 26 February 2009.

7. UK Home Office 2008, Country of Origin Information Report: India, 31 January.

8. ‗Government – Overview‘ (undated), Government of Punjab website http://punjabgovt.nic.in/GOVERNMENT/GOVERNMENT1.HTM – Accessed 4 March 2008.

9. ‗BJP forms campaign panels‘ 2009, The Tribune, 24 February http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090224/punjab.htm#5 - Accessed 24 February 2009.

10. ‗Dr. D.S Cheema to SAD-BJP alliance candidate in coming Lok Sabha elections‘ 2009, Punjab Newsline Network, 15 January http://punjabnewsline.com/content/view/14866/38/ - Accessed 24 February 2009.

11. ‗SAD may table autonomy draft‘ 2000, The Tribune, 11 July http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000710/punjab.htm#1 - Accessed 24 February 2009.

12. ‗Military: Sikhs in Punjab‘ (undated), GlobalSecurity.org website http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/punjab.htm - Accessed 24 February 2009.

13. ‗Punjab Timeline – 2008‘ 2008, South Asia Terrorism Portal website http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/timelines/index.html – Accessed 4 March 2008.

14. ‗Punjab Assessment – Year 2008‘ 2008, South Asia Terrorism Portal website http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/index.html – Accessed 4 March 2008.

15. ‗Akali-BJP combine claims victory in violence marred civic polls‘ 2008, Thaindian News, 30 June http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/akali-bjp-combine- claims-victory-in-violence-marred-civic-polls-lead_10066328.html – Accessed 4 July 2008.

16. Bumbroo, S. 2007, ‗Dimpa‘s bail plea gone; campaign on‘, The Tribune, 7 March http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070307/punjab1.htm – Accessed 7 March 2008.

17. RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33034, 13 March.

18. RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33442, 4 July.

19. Human Rights Watch 2002, ―We Have No Orders to Save You”: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat, April, Vol.14, No.3 (c) http://hrw.org/reports/2002/india/gujarat.pdf - Accessed 9 May 2002.

20. Harrison, T., et al 2007, A political introduction to India, UK Parliament website, International Affairs and Defence Section – House of Commons Library, 2 May http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2007/rp07-041.pdf – Accessed 11 October 2007.

21. Awaaz – South Asia Watch 2004, ‗In Bad Faith? British Charity and Hindu Extremism‘. Awaaz – South Asia Watch website http://www.awaazsaw.org/ibf/ibflores.pdf – Accessed 21 February 2006.

22. RRT Country Research 2006, Research Response IND17817, 1 March.

23. RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34298, 13 February.

24. Amnesty International 2001, Annual Report 2001 – India.

25. RRT Research & Information 2009, Research Response IND34243, 30 January.

26. US Department of State 2008, International Religious Freedom Report – India , 19 September.

27. All India Christian Council 2008, ‗New attacks in Orissa, Karnataka, Punjab, and Kerala‘, All India Christian Council website, 21 September http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/2406/45/ - Accessed 22 January 2009.

28. All India Christian Council 2007, ‗Hindutva Forces Convert Church into Gurudwara in Punjab: Sikh leaders come to the rescue of Christians‘, All India Christian Council website, 10 April http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1279/42/ - Accessed 21 January 2009.

29. All India Christian Council 2007, ‗Three Pastors sent to jail in Punjab‘, All India Christian Council website, 12 March http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/736/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009.

30. Riley, Jennifer 2007, ‗Persecution in India Rises with Increased Hindu-Christian Conversions‘, The Christian Post, 5 April http://www.christianpost.com/Intl/Persecution/2007/04/persecution-in-india-rises- with-increased-hindu-christian-conversions-05/index.html - Accessed 21 January 2009.

31. ‗INDIA: Indian Christians suffer persecution on Christmas day‘ 2006, AisaNews.it, 28 December http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8103# - Accessed 21 January 2009.

32. International Christian Concern 2007, 'Punjab Hindu radicals attack Christians and shut down prayer service', Persecution.org website, 3 November http://www.persecution.org/suffering/newsdetail.php?newscode=4768 - Accessed 21 January 2009.

33. ‗Indian Hindu Militants Burn Down Church, Attack Pastors‘ 2007, Worthy News, 15 March http://www.worthynews.com/1297-indian-hindu-militants-burn-down-church- attack-pastors - Accessed 21 January 2009.

34. Christian Solidarity Worldwide 2002, ‗India‘, Christian Solidarity Worldwide website http://www.cswusa.com/Countries/India.htm - Accessed 21 January 2009.

35. Mann, Simranjit Singh 2007, ‗Christians and Muslims under attack in Punjab‘, The Panthic Weekly, 21 November http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/3693/2007-11-21.html# - Accessed 21 January 2009.

36. US Department of State 2006, International Religious Freedom Report: India, 15 September.

37. ‗INDIA: Police investigate Easter attack on Church in Punjab, India‘ 2006, Compass Direct, 9 May. (CISNET India CX153143)

38. Christian Solidarity Worldwide [undated], ‗Briefing: India: Religious Discrimination and Violence against Christians‘ - Annual Report 2006.

39. All India Christian Council 2006, ‗Hindu extremists stop Christian worship gathering in Punjab‘, All India Christian Council website, 5 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/912/45/ - Accessed 21 January 2009.

40. Arora, Vishal 2006, ‗INDIA: Pastor beaten for ‗forcible conversion‘ in Punjab‘, Compass Direct, 22 February. (CISNET India CX147471)

41. Lal, Vijayesh 2005, ‗INDIA: Police beat Christians in Punjab State, India, Compass Direct, 3 October. (CISNET India CX136502)

42. Sailo, Mahruaii and Carvalho, Nirmala 2008, ‗India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution‘, Compass Direct News, December.

43. US Department of State 2009, 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – India, February.

44. UK Home Office 2008, Country of origin information report: India, 12 August http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/india-210808.doc - Accessed 22 August 2008.

45. RRT Research & Information 2008, Research Response IND33422, 24 June.

46. UK Immigration Appeal Tribunal 2002, Secretary of State for the Home Department v. WF (Internal Relocation - Christian) India, UNHCR Refworld website, 15 October http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,GBR_AIT,,IND,4562d8cf2,46836ac90,0.html Accessed 2 March 2009.

47. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2003, DFAT Report No. 254 - India RRT Information Request IND16042, 13 October.