attacking Christian tribal villagers, Catholic officials confirmed Tuesday, September 13. Assistant priest Ignatius Bara of the Simdega diocese was stabbed after he rushed to the spot
to end the violence near Chandtanga village Monday, September 12, where Christians participated in a political rally, said priest Anand Jojo, the diocese’s vicar general.
"The incident took place when people were [holding a political rally] near Chandtanga village…
The group [of armed men] came to chase the people…and beat them up badly, resulting in the fight between the two."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing but church leaders and human
rights groups suggested Hindu nationalists were to blame.
LOCAL POWER BARONS
The Hindu nationalists and local power barons want to subjugate local tribals, many of whom
are Christians, to exploit the wealth of their lands, human rights watchers say.
Vicar General Jojo added to reporters that over "40 Hindu aggressors riding some 15 motor bikes" were involved in trying to end the political rally.
Father Ignatius Bara, who is himself of a tribal background, "tried to pacify the situation, [but] they attacked and killed him on the spot by a traditional weapon, a ‘balua’ small knife," Jojo said in a statement obtained by BosNewsLife News Center.
"Father Bara died on the spot with a deep cut in his neck," said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). His funeral was to be held later Tuesday, September 13.
HIGH COURT RULING
The Hindus apparently attacked Monday’s polical rally of the villagers because it was organized to protest a High Court ruling which ended a practice of giving 100 per cent of the local council
seats to tribals.
High cast nationalist Hindus launched the court case to force tribals into submission, human
rights activists claim.
"The tribals of the village have been protesting against the High Court judgment on reservation according to the Panchayat Extension Scheduled Area Act 1996 (PESA). The judgment took away some of the reservation put in place to protect the right of the tribal people," the CBCI said.
It quoted organizers of Monday’s rally as saying that villagers had come out on to a high way for a day-long "peaceful protest. "the situation is tense but under control," Jojo said. Police forces reportedly arrived in the area to provide security.
SECOND KILLING
This was the second killing of a prominent Catholic within as many weeks. On Saturday, September 1O, Catholic Vicar General Mathew Nellickal was buried by Catholics from around the country.
Nellickal, 65, the vicar general of Tejpur diocese in India’s northeastern state of Assam "was
brutally murdered," apparently by a militant and Catholics were still "in deep shock", after his
disfigured body was found September 3, said the CBCI earlier. One arrest was made, although a police investigations is still ongoing.
The violence comes as Hindu nationalists reportedly pressure governments in several states to
combat the spread of Christianity in India. The state government of the Indian state of Rajasthan has already said it plans to present an anti-conversion bill to the state assembly during its next session, beginning September 26, Christian news agency Compass Direct reported Tuesday September 13.
Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state government will also keep a "strict vigil" on the activities of churches, particularly those in a newly-formed Catholic
diocese in Jaipur, the state capital, Compass Direct said.
In Orissa, one of India’s poorest states, authorities have also suggested a crackdown on conversions from one faith to another, according to a policy paper seen by the BosNewsLife Orissa Bureau. Christians are estimated to comprise roughly 2 percent of India’s over one billion mainly Hindu population.
