AHMEDABAD, India — The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat state, India, has resumed the secret survey of Christian institutions it began eight years ago. Extremists have used such surveys to target religious minorities for violence.
“This is the fifth time that the Gujarat government has gathered information about Christian institutions in the state,” Samson Christian, Gujarat state head and national executive member of the All India Christian Council (AICC), told Compass Direct News. “We fear that the data would be handed over to Hindu extremists for launching organized attacks against Christian institutions.” Christian said police interrogated workers of several Christian institutions, including Operation Mobilization, the Church of North India and the Salvation Army in Ahmedabad.
Ahmedabad police Commissioner J. Mahapatra categorically denied to Compass that any such survey was underway in any part of the city, but the head of Kagra Peet police station, R.K. Patel, said that officers visited Christian institutions in the area “a few months ago.” In response to a petition filed by the AICC, the Gujarat High Court took note of the survey July 2.
Share with others: