Jharkhand 4th most dangerous state for Christians, claims report

RANCHI: With 21 cases of hate crimes and a murder, Jharkhand is rated as the fourth most “dangerous” state in India for Christians after Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, a half-yearly report by Persecution Relief, a nationwide missionary organisation based at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and working for Christian rights, noted.

BJP said the report seemed to be lopsided and demanded that similar studies be conducted on “forceful conversions” by missionary groups. Ruling Congress said the Jharkhand government does not differentiate people based on their religions and persecutions, if any, are triggered by trouble mongers.

The report claimed that 293 cases of crimes against Christians have taken place nationally in the first half of 2020 (January-June) despite a nationwide lockdown since March 25, which is a staggering 40.87% hike compared to 208 incidents in 2019.

Of the total incidents in Jharkhand so far, 14 were reported during April (1), May (5) and June (8) alone. January saw four cases, two in February and March had one, added the report, which was prepared based on media reports as well as independent studies by the group. Barring 2019, Jharkhand was also among the top 10 states with crimes against missionaries since 2016. In 2016, it registered 19 instances, 12 in 2017 and seven in 2018.

Christian missionaries were at loggerhead during the erstwhile BJP rule between 2014-19 after the Raghubar Das government introduced the Freedom of Religion Act in 2017 (anti-conversion law) to prevent the alleged conversion attempts by missionaries targeting poor tribals.

Even the change of guard in Jharkhand after the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government comprising JMM-Congress-RJD too didn’t seem to have improved the situation for Christians in Jharkhand. While the report doesn’t directly criticise the ruling dispensation, the instances of hate crimes indicate this.

On the murder in Jharkhand, the report states that 27-year-old Kande Mudu was killed in Khunti last month by a group of religious fanatics who were armed with weapons in a village named Bari. The miscreants broke into his home, attacked him and slit his throat.

“He and his family had accepted Christianity four years ago and had been harassed by locals ever since. Bindu Mudu, his wife and his two daughters fled the village for fear of being attacked and their whereabouts are unknown. No arrests have been made so far,” claimed the report. It added that two young missionaries, who were a part of the youth missionary movement for over eight years, were beaten up by migrant workers in Belgaria in Dhanbad. Similarly, in Latehar, the house of a Christian family was found ransacked in Hadgadwa village.

Shibu Thomas, founder of Persecution Relief, in a statement said that the purpose of highlighting such reports is to wake up governments concerned to prevent religious intolerance. “It is growing to peaks of new inhumane attitudes now,” he observed.

Reacting to the report, BJP’s Pratul Shahdeo maintained that it seems lopsided and sought similar studies of forceful conversions being done by missionary outfits. “They will never talk about how forceful conversions they often resort to or will not talk about the massacre and violence against non-Christian tribals like the one which took place in Burugulikera in West Singbhum in January,” he said.

Recalling a statement by former archbishop Felix Toppo after the Hemant Soren government came to power, he said, “Now, enjoy the Christmas gift.” Toppo had termed the victory as a Christmas gift.

The ruling dispensation, however, put the blame on some trouble mongers and defended the state government of being sensitive towards all religions. “Unlike the previous regime, the current government doesn’t differentiate people on the basis of religion and is equally sensitive towards all. Whenever criminal acts have come to the fore, the state police have swung into action against the culprits,” said Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey.