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The issues
Although there is much to celebrate about India, tens of millions of her citizens suffer severe social exclusion, whether because of their caste, tribe, or religion. The nature of their social exclusion is very complex, but it often involves violence, exploitation and discrimination. We have chosen a few of the key ways in which social exclusion is reinforced in India, and are calling upon the Indian authorities, on world governments and on multinational corporations, to tackle these.
Join us in campaigning for a truly inclusive India…
We begin Inclusive India by highlighting the issue of religiously-motivated violence. Some of the worst such violence was suffered by Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, and in 1984, Sikhs were targeted in a violent backlash after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
In 2009, Christians are facing a continuation of the same religiously-motivated violence across a number of states in India as they also faced in 2008 and in previous years.
However, in 2008, Orissa saw the worst outbreak of anti-Christian violence in the history of post-independence India. Attacks broke out after the local figurehead of the Hindu nationalist organisation, VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) was murdered by Maoist insurgents. Having already stoked hatred against Christians in the area, extremist Hindu nationalists blamed Christians for the murder, and launched a devastating series of attacks across the state. At least 70 people were killed, many of them in brutal ways, and over 50,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Not only Christians suffered, but also Hindus who stood up to the rioters.
Religious conversion is a highly contentious issue for the Hindu nationalist ideology. According to this ideology, known widely as ‘Hindutva’, India is a land for Hindus, and therefore Christians and Muslims are a threat to national identity and unity. A recurrent feature of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa was the attempt to force Christians to renounce their faith and become Hindus, in what are called ‘re-conversion’ or ‘homecoming’ ceremonies.
Three Myths
Hinduism and Hindutva are the same thing
No – ‘Hindutva’ is a word used to describe the political ideology of Hindu nationalism, which sees India as a Hindu nation, with one race, one religion, one culture and one language. Many Hindus are opposed to this exclusivist, narrow ideological vision of India.
The caste system is only practised by Hindus
Not true – sadly, it is practised to some extent in all religious communities, including the church. Campaigners against the caste system also come from different religious communities.
The caste system has been abolished
No – this is a common misunderstanding, which arises from the fact that the practice of untouchability is banned under Article 17 of the Constitution. Dalit campaigners say this deals only with the symptoms of the problem, and it is poorly enforced.
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Early in 2009, we visited India to report firsthand on the situation and to offer support and encouragement to the people we met. The film below tells the stories of some of the people we met…
Orissa: one year on
One year on, the scale of devastation is still very visible. The relief camps have almost all closed, but many victims continue to live in flimsy, makeshift shelters outside the villages in which they used to live. The compensation which has been delivered often falls far short of their needs. Christians are still facing pressure to convert, against their will, and victims of violence have faced threats and pressure to withdraw their police cases against the perpetrators. There is a widespread and growing sense of trepidation over the possibility of more violence.
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Christians are still facing pressure to convert, against their will, and victims of violence have faced threats and pressure to withdraw their police cases against the perpetrators. | The wheels of justice are moving slowly. So far, more than 800 cases have been registered, naming over 11,600 people in connection with the attacks. Six people have been convicted in the two fast-track courts set up specially to deal with the violence. One of the perpetrators,
Manoj Pradhan, the BJP candidate who won a state assembly seat while in prison, was released on interim bail and took office. He was charged in fourteen cases relating to the violence, including murder, rioting and arson. However, he has since been returned to prison, and is currently standing trial for two counts of murder and one count of arson. It is most encouraging that he is standing trial.
However, precedent in India shows that perpetrators of this sort of violence are often not brought to justice. The stakes are high in this case, for as one Catholic priest in Orissa says, “If there is no justice, the violence will just get repeated”.
We are continuing to call for real justice and proper compensation for victims of violence in Orissa – and a fresh commitment to tackling the root causes of religiously-motivated violence.
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