Hotline Asia Urgent Appeals -- UA080403(3)

Action Requested || Sample Letter || Background
Please respond before 21 April 2008

Summary

Two Sisters of the Congregation of Carmelite Religious (CCR), Sr. Merciana and Sr. Philomena, at least four tribal women and driver, were badly beaten by a mob of 70 hired men and women who attacked the Jeevan Jyoti Kendra (a local NGO), at Sahangoti Village, Alibaug, Raigad District on Saturday, 15 March 2008. They were beaten violently, slapped and kicked in the abdomen and groin. Women from the mob tried to disrobe the nuns and threatened to parade them naked on the streets.

The victims were participating in a Women's Day celebration with over 100 tribals from neigbouring villages. The programme was conducted at the request and with permission of the local Collector (land revenue officer).

The attack appeared to be well-planned and executed. Disrupting their program, the mob, believed to be militant followers of a fundamentalist leader, beat up the tribals and nuns for allegedly conducting proselytising activities while the police remained indifferent and passive to file a case against the attackers.

Ms Vaishali Patil, the President of the Adivasi Hakka Sangharsha Samiti (Committee for Struggle for Tribal Rights) and a state government awardee for her work among tribal women, was one of the first to intervene after the issue was taken up by the Superintendent of Police (SP). Ms Vaishali Patil had insisted that the police book the assilants under the Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 for physical attack and outraging the women's modesty. Instead of filing charges against the attackers under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, however the police charged Ms Vaishali Patil under the same Act for verbally abusing a tribal when she was trying to convert him. Local groups condemn this attempt to intimidate an activist who is fighting a just cause.

A public protest meeting bringing together 10,000 people was co-organised by several groups in Mumbai on 26 March 2008 at Azad Maidan, and another multi religious meeting of around 1,000 protesters held on 30 March at Carmel Convent, Mumbai met to pray and condemn the attacks with a candle light demonstration. On 27 March the Justice and Peace Commission had a signature campaign at their Women’s Day program at St Pius College.

Action Requested

Please write polite letters expressing your concern and request the authorities to take serious cognizance of the attacks on tribal women, and religious sisters and:
• Withdraw the false charges of verbal abuse against Ms. Vaishali Patil.
• Investigate and charge all the men and women, who attacked the nuns and tribal women attending the program on 15 March 2008.
• Apply the relevant sections of Prevention of Atrocities Act on the real perpetrators responsible for this attack.
• Provide adequate protection to the sisters and tribal women whose lives are in danger due to intimidation from the fundamentalist leaders and followers.

Sample Letter

Background

A Women’s Day gathering organised in Alibaug town in Raighad District, Maharashtra on Saturday 15 March 2008 to spread AIDS awareness among adivasis, turned into a nightmare for two nuns from a local NGO, Jeevan Jyoti Kendra.

Sr. Merciana arrived at the site early at around 8:00am and began preparing rice and lentils for the afternoon meal while Sr. Philomena was responsible for bringing the resource person to the site. Tribal women from the nearby hamlets began streaming in at around 10:00am to 10:30am, a mob of about 70 followers of a spiritual leader, Narendra Maharaj, began inquiring what was going on and began accusing the nuns of proselytizing, threatening them with dire consequences if they did not leave the village immediately. While the nuns refuted these claims and invited the group to participate in the program, they were kicked by the mob in the abdomen and groin. According to local sources Sr. Merciana was dragged by the hair for almost 100 meters and thrown in a gutter while Sr. Philomena was kicked on the shin and flung on a barbed wire fence. The mob repeatedly demanded their mobile phones to prevent them from calling for help and refused to listen to their pleas that they did not own any phones. An attempt was made to disrobe the nuns but due to the timely intervention of the tribal women, they were spared from further humiliation. One of the tribal girls, Sonali, was dragged by her hair and had her ear torn as the mob tried to grab her earring, while other young tribal girls and the driver were brutally attacked by the mob and left unconscious. The victims were rescued by some forest officers who helped them from the ground to the chairs and summoned the police but the mob intervened and chased these forest officers away.

It is alleged that the local police did not carry out their job professionally in the incident. The Superintendent of Police told the nuns that the case has been filed and insisted that they should not report this case to the media. The Alibaug town police reportedly only recorded statements of the victims one day after the incident and filed mediocre charges against 13 of the attackers who were then let off on bail immediately for offences that should have been filed as non-bailable, while setting others free. Local groups believe that the police connived with the attackers as they refused to acknowledge the crime or file a case against the attackers who were physically present in the police station when the victims went to register their complaint. The police and the mob reportedly made fun of the victims and laughed at them saying, “you want to form credit cooperatives, you want to create ‘women’ gram sabhas (women run village parliaments), you want to convert people, be prepared for the consequences”.

The attack by militant followers of a fundamentalist leader was very well planned and executed. The doctors at the hospital where the injured were taken to, refused to take cognizance of the crime and injuries and laughed off the request made to admit the victims in the hospital, saying that the injuries incurred were too minor. Later, upon the insistance of the Superior of the Congregation who telephoned the civil surgeon, orders were given to the staff at the hospital to admit the victims.

The sisters’ congregation which has been working in the area for over 15 years were falsely accused of alleged proselytizing. They were part of Jeevan Jyoti Kendra, an NGO, and claim never to have engaged in any proselytising activities. Local sources have affirmed that they have worked selflessly for the empowerment and emancipation of the adivasis (tribals). Their programs include women and child welfare, education, employment, economic upliftment through micro credit and self-help schemes and health and nutrition programs which have made the tribals aware of their rights in terms of health, education, public distribution system, managing their own and the village resources leading to claiming their rights. The empowerment of tribals has incurred the wrath of the local leaders, moneylenders, politicians who fail to wield power over the tribals now. The best defence for the nuns came from the adivasis themselves who stated that they continued to follow Hinduism and there was no coercion or inducement for them to convert to Christianity. The adivasis put up a stiff resistance to the attack leading the mob to target them in return.

Ms. Vaishali Patil, a state government awardee for her work among tribal women, was charged under the Prevention of Atrocities Act on 19 March 2008 for allegedly verbally abusing a tribal man who refused to convert to Christianity. Ms. Patil is a Hindu so the question of alleged conversion is false. She also claimed that she has never seen the complainant before. It is not a coincidence that four days earlier, Patil had taken up the case of tribal women who were beaten up along with two nuns. “I had brought it to the notice of the police that certain sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act can be applied to file charges against the mob since they had attacked tribal women and outraged their modesty” says Patil. “It is unfortunate that the Prevention of Atrocities Act meant for safeguarding the interests of the tribals is being misused in such a way,” she lamented.

Ms. Patil and few tribals were eye witnesses to a murder during a Hindu–Muslim riot in 1997, where the killer got convicted due to their deposition. This is believed to be the reason for her being targetted. She has been working in Raighad for the past 15 years with tribal women and youth on issues related to land rights, bonded labour, migration, right to livelihood and health. Although she has participated in many protests, she had no record of any case filed against her.

This recent mob attack is a reminder of the increasing attacks on Christians and churches: in Khandhamal, Orissa about 22 churches and homes of many families were descerated and burnt in December 2007; recently on 15 March 2008 the church in Hirola village Dahod, Gujarat was attacked on suspicion that the church is involved in proselytising activities although there is no documentary proof of this claim.

Source:
Secular Citizen Magazine
Times of India
Indian Express
DNA newspaper
Press Release of Bombay Catholic Sabha
Local sources

Please remember to send copies of your letters to Hotline Asia for monitoring purpose.
Thank you for Your Continued Support!!