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Subject: harassments towards Christians in the BJP ruled State of Madhya
Pradesh

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Speaking of a CORPORATE COMMITMENT to work for justice and empowerment
of women I hereby come to you with some facts related to what has been
happening in our State (with the full knowledge and sanction from our
BJP Government at the Center and State) since a few days.

A few days back a large group (in thousands) of Hindu fundamentalists
have come into Madhya Pradesh from the nearby Gujarat State to harass,
loot and injure priests, religious and christians of all denominations.
They began by breaking up the prayer meeting of one religious Christian
group in the last week of December 2003 , burning up the houses of some
Christians and wounding the men folk. They did not finish with that. Two
days back a very large group appeared again with threats and attacks on
Christians, forcing them to sign that they (the tribal Christians) will
re-convert to Hinduism....though tribals were never ever Hindus. They
falsely planted the blame of the rape and murder of a 9 year old tribal
child on the Christian Missionaries and under that pretext entered the
School and Church premises and beat up the Catholic priests there (as
well as those who were travelling on the roads anywhere near that
place).

They have done a lot of damage to the Cathedral and other
buildings and locked up the Missionaries of Charity nuns inside their
convent , while they shifted other nuns and the poor tribal boarding
children to "so-called safer places". and put under lock up some 15
priests .. with the coast all clear they are continuing their vandalism.

They are shouting that missionaries should go back to foreign
countries...
and that they will erect a temple on the site of the Cathedral etc. All
this happened while all the bishops of the country were at their
national C.B.C.I meeting in the southern State of Kerala. The bishops
are on their way back to their dioceses. All this vandalism and
religious threat is happening in the Diocese of Jhabua, close to Indore, Madhya
Pradesh, India.

Early this morning some of our sisters working in Bhopal, the capital
of Madhya Pradesh went for an audience with the Chief Minister, Ms. Uma
Bharati, the newly elected BJP leader in the State.They waited for 2
long hours but they were not granted the time nor the opportunity to do
so. This was not a special meeting (with prior appointment) but the
usual morning audience open for everyone. The honorable Chief Minister
did not meet them.

It is important to state that Ms Uma Bharati receives full support from
Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani and she is a fundamentalist hindu herself.
Matters are getting from bad to worse.

I am in Bombay attending to some work> I am leaving for Bhopal tonight.
We have two communties of our sisters in the very sensitive areas of
Jhabua and I am most concerned about them and the Christians and priests
there.

I can keep you updated on further developments after I reach there.
But in the meantime if it is possible please give ample publicity to
what is happening here in India. Maybe the Bush Government and other leaders
of the world can do something. I do not have all the email ID's with me
right now to disseminate this information widely, but I do hope you will
be able to approach your governments to put pressure on the Vajpayee
Government.... to put a stop to some uncalled for violation of human
rights.

Thanking you in anticipation and trusting in the Lord and your support
to protect the lives and rights of the christians here in our State of
Madhya Pradesh.

Sr.Frances Regis (Provincial Superior)