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Home , Bajrang Dal, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, Varna (Hinduism), Vinay Katiyar

Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Response Number: IND34591 Country: Date: 26 March 2009

Keywords: India – Christians – Stop Violence on Christians rally – – – Vishwa Hindu Prashid – Laxmanananda death – Communal violence

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. Deleted. 2. Please advise whether there was a protest rally on 27 May 2007 called "Stop Violence on Christians" across India? If so, please provide details. 3. How are the group identified? 4. What is the Bajrang Dal organisation? 5. What is the Vishwa Hindu Prashid (or Parishad)? 6. Are there reports of increased violence against Christians in August 2008 when Swami Laxmanananda died? 7. Was there a large rally arranged by the All India Christian Council on 23 August 2008?

RESPONSE

1. Deleted.

2. Please advise whether there was a protest rally on 27 May 2007 called "Stop Violence on Christians" across India? If so, please provide details.

A protest rally called ‘Stop Violence on Christians’ was held, not on 27 May but on Tuesday 29 May 2007. The rally was held in New and began at 10.00 a.m.

The rally, called "Stop Violence On Christians", was organised after two recently televised attacks on Christians and an increase of anti-Christian incidents in the first few months of 2007.

The rally started at 10am at Jantar Mantar near the Parliament in . Rally organisers had expected 2,000 people, but attendance was estimated at 5,000. Speeches demanded human dignity and constitutional rights for the Christian community and other repressed minorities. Minorities are facing harassment from fundamentalists and, in many cases, local government officials (‘In Delhi 4,000 Christians arrested in peaceful protest against violence’ 2007, AsiaNews, 29 May http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=9402&size=A# - Accessed 19 March 2009 – Attachment 2).

The rally was organised by a number of groups who had expected about 2,000 participants, but the number was estimated to be over 4,000 on the day:

The rally was called in response to two attacks against Christians which were televised on several news channels. Christian leaders are concerned that copycat attacks could take place in future unless the government vocalises opposition to these and other similar attacks, many of which are committed with impunity.

The protest was organised by the All India Christian Council (AICC), the All India Catholic Union, Truth-Seekers International, the Christian Lawyers Association and the All India Confederation of Scheduled /Scheduled Tribes Organisations. Muslim, Buddhists and Hindu representatives, women’s groups and students joined the thousands of Christians from all denominations who took part in the rally.

Dr Joseph D’souza, President, All India Christian Council, said, “The diversity of protestors, from several religious communities, different Christian denominations, and even civil society groups, show that India’s citizens want a truly secular India. People should be able to practise their faith without violent attacks. The government’s silence in the face of recent anti- Christian incidents is not only an injustice, it is dangerous” (Christian Solidarity Worldwide 2007, ‘India: Over 4000 people protest against Christian persecution’, Christian Solidarity Worldwide website, 29 May http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=press&id=632 – Accessed 19 March 2009 – Attachment 3).

As well as Christian denominations, the protest also attracted the support of “, Buddhists and progressive , leaders of various women’s organisations, students groups from several universities, and Christian lawyers, teachers, and professors. Rally organisers reported attendees from at least seven states in India” (All India Christian Council (AICC) 2007, ‘Thousands of Christians "arrested" in peaceful protest against growing anti-Christian violence’, 29 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1316/42/ - Accessed 19 March 2009 – Attachment 4).

The Parliament Street Police Station House Officer was quoted as saying that he had ‘arrested’

approximately 4,000 people at 1:05pm and released them at 2:10pm. It is standard practice for protestors who obstruct traffic to be detoured into the police station yard. They are temporarily detained for their own protection and allowed to state their demands to police authorities.

“This was the first time since November 1997 that such large numbers of Christians have been arrested in the Parliament Street Police Station. It was incredible to see Catholic nuns, Protestant pastors, civil society activists and more singing Christian songs of liberation within the police station,” said John Dayal, Secretary General, All India Christian Council. An earlier plan to march to the parliament house to present a series of demands to the Prime Minister was abandoned and an open letter was to be sent instead. Smaller rallies took place in Andhra Pradesh on the same day also (All India Christian Council (AICC) 2007, ‘Thousands of Christians "arrested" in peaceful protest against growing anti-Christian violence’, 29 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1316/42/ - Accessed 19 March 2009 – Attachment 4).

3. How are the Dalit group identified?

The Dalits, previously known as ‘untouchables’, are generally defined and understood in relation to the Indian system, the Dalits existing outside the four main classes (Varna). The Scheduled Castes or Dalits are numbered in the hundreds and membership is derived by birth;

The word “Dalit” comes from the root dal- and means “broken, ground-down, downtrodden, or oppressed.” Those previously known as Untouchables, Depressed Classes, and Harijans are today increasingly adopting the term “Dalit” as a name for themselves. “Dalit” refers to one’s caste rather than class; it applies to members of those menial castes which have born the stigma of “” because of the extreme impurity and pollution connected with their traditional occupations. Dalits are ‘outcastes’ falling outside the traditional four-fold caste system consisting of the hereditary , , , and classes; they are considered impure and polluting and are therefore physically and socially excluded and isolated from the rest of society.

Dalits represent a community of 170 million in India, constituting 17% of the population. One out of every six Indians is Dalit, yet due to their caste identity Dalits regularly face discrimination and violence which prevent them from enjoying the basic human rights and dignity promised to all citizens of India. Caste-based social organization extends beyond India, finding corollaries in , , Sri Lanka, and Bangaldesh, as well as other countries outside of South Asia…(“Who are Dalits? & What is Untouchability?’ undated, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights website, http://www.ncdhr.org.in/ncdhr/general- info-misc-pages/wadwiu - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 5).

Dalits live in impoverished conditions, from which it is difficult to escape, and they are condemned to receive inferior treatment in their society, and restricted to occupying low level, menial and poorly paid occupations, as has commented;

Despite its constitutional abolition in 1950, the practice of “untouchability”—the imposition of social disabilities on persons by reason of birth into a particular caste— remains very much a part of rural India. Representing over one-sixth of India’s population—or some 160 million people—Dalits endure near complete social ostracization. “Untouchables” may not cross the line dividing their part of the village from that occupied by higher castes. They may not use the same wells, visit the same temples, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls. Dalit children are frequently made to sit at the back of classrooms. In what has been called India’s “hidden apartheid,” entire villages in many Indian states remain completely segregated by caste.9

“Untouchability” is reinforced by state allocation of resources and facilities; separate facilities are provided for separate caste-based neighborhoods. Dalits often receive the poorer of the two, if they receive any at all. In many villages, the state administration installs electricity, sanitation facilities, and water pumps in the upper-caste section, but neglects to do the same in the neighboring, segregated Dalit area. Basic amenities such as water taps and wells are also segregated, and medical facilities and the better, thatched-roof houses exist exclusively in the upper-caste colony (Human Rights Watch 2001, Caste Discrimination. A Global Concern, August, http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2001/08/29/caste-discrimination - Accessed 24 March 2009, p. 6 - Attachment 6).

Further information on the Scheduled Castes is provided in a 2007 Research Response (RRT Country Research 2007, Research Response IND31565, 4 April (Question1) – Attachment 7).

Although a number of individuals have argued in more recent years that Dalits may seek to use their constructed identity in such a way as to invert their subaltern status and so provide the basis for re-defining the meaning of their ascribed condition (see e.g. Bharati, Sunita R., 2002, “'Dalit': A Term Asserting Unity”, Global African Presence website, http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/dalit.html - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 8), despite legislative changes seeking to end their history of discrimination based on descent, only limited improvements have occurred in many states.

Dalits are not and do not have the characteristics of a racial or ethnic group:

Lower-caste communities are almost invariably indistinguishable in physical appearance from higher-caste communities. This is not, as some would say, a black and white issue. For most outsiders then, the visual cues that otherwise accompany race or ethnicity are often completely lacking. Stark economic disparities between low and high-caste communities also get buried under a seemingly homogenous landscape of poverty. Poverty can be quite deceptive. It makes one conclude that all suffer from it equally. A closer look reveals the discrimination inherent in the allocation of jobs, land, basic resources and amenities, and even physical security. A closer look at victims of violence, bonded labor, and other severe abuses also reveals disproportionate membership in the lowest ranking in the caste order. A perpetual state of economic dependency also allows for abuses to go unpunished, while a biased state machinery looks the other way, or worse, becomes complicit in the abuse.

The language used to describe low and high-caste community characteristics…are striking in their similarity, despite the variation in geographic origin, with ideas of pollution and purity, and filth and cleanliness prevalent. In turn, these designations are used to justify the physical and social segregation of low-caste communities from the rest of society, their exclusion from certain occupations, and their involuntary monopoly over “unclean” occupations and tasks (Human Rights Watch 2001, Caste Discrimination. A Global Concern, August, http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2001/08/29/caste-discrimination - Accessed 24 March 2009, p. 2 - Attachment 6).

4. What is the Bajrang Dal organisation?

The Bajrang Dal was founded in 1984 as the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Prashid (VHP);

It was banned between December 1992 and June 1993 in connection with the disturbances. The organization was originally formed in the 1980s to counter ‘Sikh terrorism’, but later broadened the scope of its militant activities to include amongst its targets the Muslim and Christian minorities…The Bajrang Dal also targets authors and films that are seen as promoting ‘Western’ and anti-Hindu values and social practices, and shops that sell merchandise regarded as undermining Hindu values. A loosely organized group, the Brownshirts of the movement, it is not directly controlled by the VHP or the RSS (Szajokowki, B. ed 2004, Revolutionary and Dissident Movements of the World, John Harper Publishing, London, p. 157 – Attachment 9).

According to the Brussels-based Human Rights without Frontiers International, the movement began in and it currently claims to have about 1.3 million members:

It has organized in many states major training camps called shakhas, where thousands of young men simultaneously train in group activities, receive religious and cultural education and in many cases, self-defensive arms training. The current president is Prakash Sharma. The BD carries the slogan “service, safety, and culture”. It has several main agenda items, which include preventing the slaughter of cows, and the liberation the Ramjanmabhoomi temple in Ayodhaya, the Krishnajanmabhoomi temple in and the in Kasi, which are currently disputed places of worship. Another main goal of the BD is to protect India’s Hindu identity, from the perceived dangers of Muslim population growth, Christian conversions, and anti-national Hindus. Although the BD claims to have no association with violent acts against Christians, BD members have repeatedly been linked to crimes against Christians, anti-Muslim protests, and other acts of violence throughout India (‘India – Hindu Extremist Movements’ 2009, Human Rights Without Frontiers International website http://hrwf.net/uploads/hindu extremists.doc - Accessed 24 February 2009 – Attachment 10).

According to a 2008 Times of India article, a website which purports to promote the ideals of Bajrang Dal expresses views which support its case that ‘the very survival of is at risk’, in accordance with which it suggests that Muslims should have left the country at the time of partition in 1947;

Ever since Bajrang Dal was set up in 1984, ostensibly to protect a VHP programme for "awakening society", the outfit's chain of command has been nebulous. It has had a few national conveners who have attracted notice like , and Surendra Jain, two of whom have been BJP MPs as well. The current convener, Prakash Sharma, is less well known, but VHP claims the organization is not as loosely structured as the impression is.

As an organization allied to , it has come to be handy for channelling the fury of an under class whose utility as foot soldiers is useful on occasion while allowing BJP to promptly dissociate itself from any outrageous act of violence. The Bajrang Dal and its cadre are like unwashed cousins at a family wedding who everyone pretends are not present at all, but who might have their uses in settling a land dispute. But Bajrang Dal does crash the party every now and again as Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa found out, after initial indulgence towards its lumpen mobs (“Bajrang Dal: The militant face of the saffron family?” 2008, Times of India, 30 September, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bajrang_Dal_The_militant_face_of_the_saffron_fa mily/articleshow/3542674.cms - Accessed 20 March 2009 – Attachment 11).

5. What is the Vishwa Hindu Prashid (or Parishad)?

The Vishwa Hindu Prashid (the World Council of Hindus) was established in 1964 and is frequently referred to as a right-wing organisation whose activities are ostensibly focused on religious matters:

It was banned from December 1992 to June 1995 for its part in the destruction of the Babri mosque, and also from January-June 1995 for its threats to other mosques. The VHP is a wealthy organization, being heavily funded not only by domestic subscription but also by donations from expatriate Hindu communities, especially in the USA. It is regarded as highly influential in mobilizing voters for the BJP [Indian Nationalist Party] (Szajokowki, B. ed 2004, Revolutionary and Dissident Movements of the World, John Harper Publishing, London, p. 157 – Attachment 9).

Detailed information on the Vishwa Hindu Prashid (VHP) is provided in a 2007 Research Response (RRT Research & Information 2007, RRT Research Response IND 31981, 9 July (Question 1) - Attachment 12).

Additional information is also provided in a Research Response from 2006 (RRT Country Research 2006, RRT Research Response IND30447, 25 August (Question 7) - Attachment 13).

6. Are there reports of increased violence against Christians in August 2008 when Swami Laxmanananda died? 7. Was there a large rally arranged by the All India Christian Council on 23 August 2008?

On 29 August 2008, in reaction to the anti-Christian violence which occurred following the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four supporters in Jalespata, Kandhamal, Orissa on 23 August, a large rally was held in New Delhi, as Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported on the day:

…a protest rally held in New Delhi today was attended by an estimated 10,000 people, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. Christian groups in India are also holding a nationwide shut-down of Christian educational institutions today, in peaceful protest of the events in Orissa. … The outbreak of violence, instigated by Hindu extremist group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has been ongoing for six days. It followed the murder of followed the murder of local Hindu leader, Swami Lakhmananda Saraswati, allegedly by Maoist insurgents (). Accounts vary of the human and material cost of the violence, but at least twenty people are reported to have died, alongside the widespread destruction of property. A court order won on Wednesday resulted in Orissa’s District Collectors being directed to help victims return safely to their homes.

CSW Advocacy Director, Tina Lambert, said: “Urgent protection for the victims of this horrific violence in Orissa is still desperately needed. We are witnessing one of the worst outbreaks of communal violence ever seen in post-Independence India, and we call on the UK Foreign Secretary, US Secretary of State, French Foreign Minister and European Commissioner for External Relations to respond positively to these requests for expressions of concern. However, we welcome the verdict of Wednesday’s Orissa High Court hearing, and urge that the order is implemented properly and effectively” (“India: CSW, Dalit Freedom Network and Human Rights Watch call for world action over anti-Christian violence in Orissa: 2008, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 29 August, http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=news&id=780 – Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 14).

The Asian Centre for Human Rights also released a report on the 29 August which provided details of deaths and incidents in the preceding days:

No one claimed responsibility for the murder [of Laxmananda Saraswati]. While the government held the Maoists responsible for the killings, the VHP blamed Christians for the incident. Christian leaders condemned the killings but the VHP reacted predictably calling a dawn-to-dusk Orissa bandh – strike – on 25 August 2008. Since that time the entire district has been closed down by the VHP. The VHP activists have blocked all entry roads with logs. Law enforcement personnel have limited access to remote areas of the district. The press has been barred. India’s Minister of State fo r Home, Mr Sri Prakash Jaiswal has been denied access to the areas on the grounds of lack of security.

In this closed off district of Kandhmal it appears that the VHP is being allowed to carry out mass killings of the local Christian community. The Asian Centre for Human Rights has been informed by local sources that over 50 persons have been killed so far. Because of restrictions on movement and lack of security, it is not possible to verify all the names. However, reports of further killings continue to rise worryingly.

Large numbers of Christians have fled their villages. Some 5000 people are now living in seven relief camps at Chakapad, Tikabali, G. Udaygiri, Raikia, Baliguda, K.Nuagoan and Phiringia. According to informed sources, 200 villages have been affected. Hundreds of churches including house churches have been burnt down (Asian Centre for Human Rights 2008, “Kandhamal Massacres: Where is the State? Central must stop the killings”, 29 August, http://www.achrweb.org/briefingpapers.htm - Accessed 19 March 2009 - Attachment 15)

On 1 September, a statement was issued by a banned Communist group, claiming responsibility for the death of leader on 23 August;

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist, an extreme Marxist group banned by the Indian government, released a statement today saying that Sangh Parivar, the family of Hindu extremist groups led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, have deliberately misled people about Saraswati's death.

"The Sangh Parivar leaders like Praveen Togadia have been trying to divert the people by uttering lies that it is not the Maoists but Christian organizations that had carried out the attack on the VHP leader," the Marxist group stated.

The statement said Saraswati was a "rabid anti-Christian ideologue and persecutor of innocent Christians who was responsible for the burning down of over 400 churches in Kandhamal district alone."

Saraswati, who had run a campaign against Christian missionaries for several decades in Orissa, was allegedly behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks in Kandhamal district last Christmas season. The violence lasted for more than a week beginning December 24, and killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.

The Maoist statement warned the VHP of "more such punishments if it continued violence against religious minorities in the country" and called for a ban on groups linked to the Sangh Parivar, such as the VHP, its youth wing Bajrang Dal, right-wing Hindu political party and the Hindu nationalist (BJP).

On August 30 private news channel NDTV 24X7 quoted unnamed government sources as saying that their assessment was that Christians had no role in the killing of Saraswati, and that the probe was leading to Maoist culprits.

Christian leaders said that as a result of the violence more tha[n] 50,000 Christians are living as refugees in jungles (“India: Maoists in India say they killed Hindu leader” 2008, Compass Direct, 1 September - Attachment 16). The US Department of State provided an overview on the August 2008 events as follows:

On August 23, unidentified individuals killed Laxmanananda Saraswati and four other religious leaders. Their deaths caused revenge killings, assaults, and property destruction in the district, with a few incidents located in surrounding districts. According to government statistics, 40 persons died and 134 were injured, including tribal Kandhas and ethnic Panas, Christians, and Hindus, although more than 80 percent of the attacks were against Christians. Property disputes and social tensions also played a role in the violence. The extent of the violence attracted worldwide media attention, including the alleged August 25 rape of a Christian nun.

The majority of attacks occurred within the first week of violence when local police were unable to control the situation. Attacks continued until mid-October. The police arrested more than 1,200 persons and opened almost 1,000 criminal cases, although the killers of the Hindu religious leaders had not been identified by year's end. An estimated 9,500 individuals remained in temporary camps in Kandhamal and Gajapati at year's end, wary of returning. Government sources calculated that at least 4,215 houses had been damaged or destroyed and that potentially 252 prayer halls and religious places had been damaged. The government allocated funds to compensate next of kin and repair damaged houses, businesses, and places of worship. A government commission was established to investigate the killing of Laxmanananda and the resulting violence (US Department of State 2009, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 – India, February, Section 2c - Attachment 17).

In the succeeding weeks, various rallies were held, a summary of which follows:

On 1 September a rally involving an unspecified number of people was held in Visakhapatnam in Andra Pradesh. Various local Christian church leaders were present, and a call for an inquiry into the violence and the intervention of the central government to protect minorities were amongst the demands made (“Solidarity rally organised” 2008, The Hindu, 2 September, http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090259900500.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 18).

The All India Council organised a “Mega public meeting” which was held on Saturday 20 September beginning at the Gymkhana Grounds, Gandinagar, at 10.00 a.m. and followed by a “Massive Rally” in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh;

This rally was held in protest to the atrocities and havoc created by the members of the Sangh Parivar organizations since August 23, 2008, in Orissa, Karnataka, , and other states. Over one hundred churches were burnt and over 60,000 thousand Christians displaced in this communal violence in six states across India.

Over 15,000 people attended this Mega Rally in large numbers representing all the 24 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Leaders of all major political parties participated in the rally. Also Sikhs, Buddhists, progressive Hindus, and Muslims participated and extended their solidarity and support for the Christians who were victimized across India.

Dr. Sam Paul, aicc National Secretary of Public Affairs, said, “The Central Government is not acting on the violence against Christians as it supposed to act. We demand that the government should impose a ban on Sangh sponsored groups like VHP, Bajrangdal, and RSS. Provocative statements by certain fundamentalist Hindutva leaders have saddened the vast majority of Hindus as well as minority communities. These extremist groups have committed unprovoked attacks against Christians and falsely accused them of “conversions”. Responsible leaders should unconditionally condemn the murder of any Indian citizen – including Christians.” (“Over 15000 protest impunity for Hindutva extremists in Massive rally held in Andhra Pradesh” 2008, ASSIST News Service, 21 September, http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08090135.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 19).

Prior to the rally, the AICC National Secretary of Public Affairs stated that

“People are coming from all 24 districts of Andhra Pradesh to show their belief in democratic ideals and specifically ask the Orissa government to pursue and convict instigators of communal violence. It’s clear that average Indians are ready to engage in peaceful, civil disobedience if that’s the only way to provoke a government response. We believe inter-faith harmony and enforcement of the rule of law is best for the progress of India. We are thankful our appeals to the Orissa state governor and Central government resulted in implementation of Article 355, but the faith of suffering people will only be restored if justice prevails.”

Aicc will ask the Central government to extend Article 355 to Madhya Pradesh due to the lack of response by state government officials. In the last week, Christians or Christian properties were sporadically attacked in Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. In Karnataka, at least 17 churches were vandalised in 4 districts. The majority of attacks occurred on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 in coastal areas. In Orissa, the aicc estimates 50,000 Christians are displaced with 14,000 in government relief camps, 35 people killed including two pastors, and over 4,000 Christian homes destroyed by arson. The violence, which at one point spread across 12 of 30 districts in the state, now seems to be contained to Kandhamal District. Attacks began in rural Orissa on Aug. 23, 2008, after the murder of a controversial Hindu swami by unknown assailants and continue despite the emergency deployment of thousands of Central law enforcement troops. In most places, Hindu nationalist organisations such as the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, claimed responsibility for attacks (“India's Central Government Responds to Spreading Attacks on Christians”, 2008, Christian Today, 20 September, http://au.christiantoday.com/article/indias-central-government-responds-to-spreading-attacks- on-christians/4353.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009 – Attachment 20).

On 2 October a rally involving about 10,000 individuals took place in New Delhi to coincide with the 139th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gahndi, also in protest against the violence throughout a number of Indian states (“Peace rally condemns violence against Christians” 2008, Thaindian News [source: Indo-Asian News Service], 2 October, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/peace-rally-condemns-violence-against- christians_100102884.html - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 21).

A large rally involving civil society and religious communities was held in Bangalore on 6 October (“Anti-Christian threats unnoticed in rural Karnataka, recent violence in nine districts outside Kandhamal, Orissa 10000 civil society and religious communities came out in protest against anti-Christian violence in Bangalore the blood bath of innocent Christians must not be utilized for political mileage” 2008, International Living Mission website, http://www.livingmission.org/Christian-news-7.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 22).

On 19 October, a peace rally was held in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh;

About 10,000 people, including Christians, Muslims, walked through the streets in the heart of the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad to express their solidarity with the victims of communal violence, in Orissa and other parts of the country. The All India Christian Council, the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches, Pastors Fellowships, Catholic Samakya, leaders of various workers' unions, civil rights groups and voluntary organisations were among the participants.

A resolution passed at the rally was submitted to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, N.D. Tiwari, October 20, seeking his personal intervention and necessary action, especially in the enactment of legislation to prevent the communal riots (“Peace rally condemns communal violence” 2008, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India website [source: SAR News], 22 October, http://www.cbcisite.com/cbcinews2507.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009 - Attachment 23).

A large rally was also held in Chandigarh on 20 November where continuing calls for security of Christian communities in Orissa and Karnataka states were made;

The mass rally and march, November 20, in a memorandum addressed to the President of India, cautioned that while the situation was comparatively peaceful in and Haryana states and the Union territory of Chandigarh, reports had started coming in of communal gangs terrorising home churches and small congregations in small towns.

The situation in Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, however, continued to be terrible despite assurances by the Central and state governments, they said.

In Orissa and other states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the police forces and the subordinate criminal justice apparatus had been heavily infiltrated by the communal ideology of the Sangh Parivar. The result was that the police was a mute bystander and often an active participant in attacks on Christian houses of worship and gatherings, and assaults on priests, the speakers said.

“This state of impunity must end. There also have been many cases of sexual violence. Cases were often not registered, and tragically, it was the victim Christians who ended up facing the wrath of the government. A hate campaign continues unabated in the media and on the streets, targeting Christians and their faith, questioning their patriotism and stigmatising their religious personnel,” a press release said.

The Christians demanded an immediate crackdown on the hate campaigns and justice for the community (‘Massive Christian Rally Demands Justice, Security’ 2008, South Asia Religious News, 25 November http://www.sarnews.in/details.php?n=910 - Accessed 6 March 2009 - Attachment 24).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources:

Government Information & Reports UK Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ US Department of State http://www.state.gov/ Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/ International News & BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/ The Economist http://www.economist.co.uk Non-Government Organisations Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/ Topic Specific Links Dalit Freedom Network http://www.dalitnetwork.org National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights http://www.ncdhr.org.in Indian Christian Council http://www.indianchristians.in Asian Centre for Human Rights http://www.achrweb.org Christian Solidarity Worldwide http://www.csw.org Search Engines Webcrawler http://www.webcrawler.com Google Scholar http://www.googlescholar.com.au Clusty http://www.clusty.com Copernic

Databases:

FACTIVA (news database) BACIS (DIAC Country Information database) REFINFO (IRBDC (Canada) Country Information database) ISYS (RRT Research & Information database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State Reports) MRT-RRT Library Catalogue

List of Attachments

1. Deleted.

2. ‘In Delhi 4,000 Christians arrested in peaceful protest against violence’ 2007, AsiaNews, 29 May, http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=9402&size=A# - Accessed 19 March 2009.

3. Christian Solidarity Worldwide 2007, ‘India: Over 4000 people protest against Christian persecution’, Christian Solidarity Worldwide website, 29 May http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=press&id=632 – Accessed 19 March 2009.

4. All India Christian Council (AICC) 2007, ‘Thousands of Christians "arrested" in peaceful protest against growing anti-Christian violence’, 29 May http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/1316/42/ - Accessed 19 March 2009.

5. “Who are Dalits? & What is Untouchability?” undated, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights website, http://www.ncdhr.org.in/ncdhr/general-info-misc-pages/wadwiu - Accessed 18 March 2009.

6. Human Rights Watch 2001, Caste Discrimination. A Global Concern, August, http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2001/08/29/caste-discrimination - Accessed 24 March 2009.

7. RRT Country Research 2007, Research Response IND31565, 4 April. 8. Bharati, Sunita R., 2002, “'Dalit': A Term Asserting Unity”, Global African Presence website, http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/dalit.html - Accessed 18 March 2009.

9. Szajokowki, B. ed 2004, Revolutionary and Dissident Movements of the World, John Harper Publishing, London. (MRT-RRT Library)

10. ‘India – Hindu Extremist Movements’ 2009, Human Rights Without Frontiers International website http://hrwf.net/uploads/hindu extremists.doc - Accessed 24 February 2009.

11. “Bajrang Dal: The militant face of the saffron family?” 2008, Times of India, 30 September, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bajrang_Dal_The_militant_face_of_the_saff ron_family/articleshow/3542674.cms - Accessed 20 March 2009.

12. RRT Research & Information 2007, RRT Research Response IND 31981, 9 July.

13. RRT Country Research 2006, RRT Research Response IND30447, 25 August.

14. “India: CSW, Dalit Freedom Network and Human Rights Watch call for world action over anti-Christian violence in Orissa: 2008, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 29 August, http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=news&id=780 – Accessed 18 March 2009.

15. Asian Centre for Human Rights 2008, “Kandhamal Massacres: Where is the State? Central Government of India must stop the killings”, 29 August, http://www.achrweb.org/briefingpapers.htm - Accessed 19 March 2009.

16. “India: Maoists in India say they killed Hindu leader” 2008, Compass Direct, 1 September. (CISNET CX209211).

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

18. “Solidarity rally organised” 2008, The Hindu, 2 September, http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090259900500.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009.

19. “Over 15000 protest impunity for Hindutva extremists in Massive rally held in Andhra Pradesh” 2008, ASSIST News Service, 21 September, http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08090135.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009.

20. “India's Central Government Responds to Spreading Attacks on Christians”, 2008, Christian Today, 20 September,http://au.christiantoday.com/article/indias-central- government-responds-to-spreading-attacks-on-christians/4353.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009.

21. “Peace rally condemns violence against Christians” 2008, Thaindian News [source: Indo-Asian News Service], 2 October, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/peace-rally-condemns-violence- against-christians_100102884.html - Accessed 18 March 2009.

22. Massive Christian Rally Demands Justice, Security’ 2008, South Asia Religious News, 25 November, http://www.sarnews.in/details.php?n=910 - Accessed 6 March 2009.

23. “Peace rally condemns communal violence” 2008, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India website [source: SAR News], 22 October, http://www.cbcisite.com/cbcinews2507.htm - Accessed 18 March 2009.

24. “Massive Christian Rally Demands Justice, Security’ 2008, South Asia Religious News, 25 November http://www.sarnews.in/details.php?n=910 - Accessed 6 March 2009.