it took over the facility and fired 17 of its employees for allegedly "forcible conversions."
The government of Chhattisgarh, controlled by the hard-line Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), apparently ordered the takeover of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in Lundra village on October 10.
The state assigned the ICDS in 1995 to the Raigarh-Ambikapur Health Association (RAHA), a Catholic voluntary health service of the Ambikapur diocese in the eastern part of the state.
But the current BJP government, "is determined" to take away the ICDS from RAHA in Lindra village "and allegations of conversions are an effective means to do so,” said Sister Emilina Xess, a child development project officer, in an interview. She added her group would approach the regional Bilaspur High Court to reverse the government’s decision.
GOVERNMENT "JALOUS"
Xess alleged that the authorities’ actions stem "from jealousy of the esteem and popularity of Christians at the ICDS in Lundra." The state has also reportedly taken steps to dismiss Xess and Deputy Child Development Project Officer Sister Lucy Barat on charges they were "improperly appointed."
Government officials could not immediately be reached for comments.
Reverend Theodore Lakra, judicial vicar of the Amibakpur diocese, told Compass Direct News that the attempted dismissals were a gross violation of minorities rights and prejudice against Christians.
CHRISTIAN "MALICE"
“This is done out of malice against the Christian community,” he added in published remarks. “These charges of forced conversion are baseless, as an independent enquiry body had not found any cases of conversion in ICDS Lundra.”
Following allegations of forced conversion against the institution last year, parliament ordered an independent investigation, which reportedly concluded in May that the accusations were "baseless and was made due to ill feeling,"
Indian Christians have described the ICDS as "a model" for other such centers serving the poor in the state district of Surguja. In 1999-2000, it received the state’s Birsa Munda award for best performance.
RAHA operates 90 primary health centers in the remote tribal areas of Jaspur, Raigarh, Surguja and Korea districts with trained nurses from Holy Cross Hospital in Kunkuri, Holy Cross Hospital in Ambikapur and J.M.J. Hospital in Raigarh, Compass Direct News said.
The latest difficulties come amid growing tensions in several parts of India where Christian institutions, missionaries, church leaders and individuals are charged with "forced conversions" for preaching the Gospel to Hindus and other non-Christians, BosNewsLife monitored. (With reports from India).
