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NCM reports on Gujarat violence to President

The National Commission for Minorities has blamed the 'reconversion' of tribals by the Sangh Parivar under its 'homecoming' campaign for the violence on Christian establishments in Gujarat and sought prompt action against the culprits.

In its final report on the attacks, submitted to President K R Narayanan on Monday, the NCM has also blamed the state government for its "inept handling of the situation", which took a serious turn on Christmas eve with "Sangh Parivar outfits" openly instigating people to attack Christians.

The law-enforcing machinery was a mute spectator to the violence perpetuated by "organised groups" which fanned out into tribal areas and subjected the Christians to terror and assault, the report says.

These groups comprised school dropouts and unemployed youths, who carried out attacks on Christian hamlets in far-flung areas at night.

As per their plan, houses with saffron flags atop them, signifying that the inmates had fallen in line with the Sangh Parivar's ideology, were spared. The rest were attacked.

The NCM has refused to buy the Parivar's contention that the tribals had been forcibly converted. No evidence to prove this charge was found when its team visited the troubled areas of the state and met 40 delegations of Sangh Parivar outfits like the Vanavasi Jagran Manch, the affected people, and state government officials.

Submitting the report to the President, NCM Chairman Tahir Mahmood, Vice-Chairman Bawa Singh and the three other members expressed concern at the growing incidence of violence under an "inspired campaign" for "religious cleansing of the minorities" in Gujarat and Orissa and its spread to other parts of the country.

The report was earlier submitted to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Advani and the Gujarat government.

It observes that the Sangh Parivar outfits took the help of "outsiders" and local "swamis" and their establishments to organise their vilification campaign against the Christians, particularly in the Dangs. They painted missionaries as foreign agents conspiring to convert the tribals through allurements with the ultimate goal of usurping power by making the minority a majority.

The NCM found several families in which one member had converted to Christianity while the rest remained animists. The Hindutva outfits created trouble by raking up issues like whether the dead of such families would be buried or cremated.

The report also refers to the continuous demoralisation of the minority through teasing, sarcastic remarks in public places. The NCM also did not find any incidence of conversion from missionary schools, colleges and other charity establishments.

Its report suggests corrective measures like setting up a minorities commission in each state, repealing the anti-conversion law enacted by some states, penalising partisan officials, banning activities that incite communal passions, and strict instructions to the state administrations by the Centre to prevent communal violence, with force if necessary.

Other recommendations include instructing the Gujarat government to make arrangements for mobile security in affected tribal areas where police posts are located at least 40km from one another. The commission felt the violence could have been averted if the state government had taken quick action and posted officials sensitised to the situation at sensitive positions.

UNI

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