Anti-Christian acts: The myth and reality

Phalgun Shuklapaksha 12, Kaliyug Varsha 5116

When the BJP first came to power in the late 1990s we heard of anti-Christian incidents perpetrated by members of the Sangh Parivar, the majority of which proved to be blatant falsehoods.

We need to recall those events to give a reality check to a similar campaign of unsubstantiated calumny that is raising its head again to discredit the BJP government, says Vivek Gumaste.

It stands out as a masterstroke of ideological gamesmanship; a Machiavellian exercise par excellence; a deceptive, cruel phantasma specifically conjured up to mislead the public, hijack the moral discourse in the nation and embarrass the government on the international front.

It is a ditto replay — the same suffocating hysteria, the same unsubstantiated hype and the same haste to condemnation.

When the Bharatiya Janata Party first came to power in the late 1990s we heard of anti-Christian incidents allegedly perpetrated by members of the Sangh Parivar, the majority of which proved to be blatant falsehoods deliberately blown out of proportion and distorted to gain political and religious mileage.

We need to recall those events to give a reality check to a similar campaign of unsubstantiated calumny (church attacks in Delhi) that is raising its head again to discredit the current BJP government.

Rewind to 1998 to review a much publicised incident involving the rape of four Christian nuns in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. Even before any details of this crime were available, major newspapers had conducted a trial, established the criminal guilt of Hindu organisations, and communicated this message to the country and the world at large by splashing this news across their front pages — a clear case of the press playing the part of accuser, judge and jury rolled into one.

It was left to Francois Gautier, the correspondent in South Asia for Le Figaro, France’s largest-circulated newspaper, who went to Jhabua to unearth the truth. This is what he wrote in theHindustan Times (February 1, 1999)”

‘This massive outcry on the “atrocities against the minorities” raises also doubts about the quality and integrity of Indian journalism. Take, for instance, the rape of the four nuns in Jhabua. Today the Indian press (and the foreign correspondents — witness Tony Clifton’s piece in the last issue of Newsweek) are still reporting that it was a ‘religious’ rape.’

‘Yet I went to Jhabua and met the four adorable nuns, who themselves admitted, along with their Bishop George Anatil, that it had nothing to do with religion. It was the doing of a gang of Bhil tribals, known to perpetrate this kind of hateful acts on their own women.’

‘Yet today, the Indian press, the Christian hierarchy and the politicians continue to include the Jhabua rape in the list of atrocities against Christians.’

A few days later, the home minister released a list of the criminals, a list forwarded to him by the Congress (whose leader incidentally happens to be Christian) government of Madhya Pradesh at that time: 12 of the accused were Christians!

Christian groups initially questioned this finding, but when confronted with irrefutable proof chose to ignore it. And the newspapers ?

Yes, they reported it in some hidden corner of their papers following what has become an accepted strategy for some: Create hype, discredit your adversaries and finally when the truth comes out, report it in small print.

Other similar incidents confirm my view point. In 2000, a series of bomb blasts occurred in churches across Karnataka, Andhra and Goa. Again, without evidence Hindu groups were promptly indicted for these attacks. Eventually, it turned out to be the handiwork of a Muslim organisation, Deendar Anjuman with Pakistani links.

Source : Rediff