Hang not, Give life a chance!

 “Hang him, not leave him” this was how the jail superintendent received a message on wire from his authorities, regarding executing punishment to a person who was on a trial. The jail authorities executed the order and the person was hung to death. When the higher officials heard of this news, they rushed to the jail, for the judgment declared was, “Hang him not, leave him.”

This is an anecdote I remember my English teacher narrating in the school about the syntax of using a comma in the English grammar class. A misuse of a comma in a simple sentence costs the life of a person in that trial.  

After 20 years of the assassination of our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, three people who were convicted of the crime in a long trial will be hanged to death on the 9^th of September 2011, after the President of India recently rejected the mercy petitions of these three people raising a curtain to their 11 years of waiting for mercy on their ‘right to life’ from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

When globally there has been an increase in the number of countries abolishing death penalty (about 94 ), India once again comes to the global map, this time for a wrong reason of ‘judicially sanctioned murder’ by hanging three convicts of which two of them are Sri Lankan Tamils. A blatant murder of ‘right to life’ recurs in India now in 2011, after the last legal execution in 2004. The present UPA government in the Center wants to score a point both from the nation and Gandhi family by giving an impression that justice is being executed by hanging these three friends to death. However, these things cannot be done at the expense of forcing some people to death, which in itself is denying life, for life is a gift of God and no person or state has the right to kill, legally or otherwise.

As a community of faith, we believe that God has given life to all human beings, creating in God’s own equal image without any hierarchies and limitations. Affirming life in all its fullness is the core principle in our Christian faith and therefore any forces of death, any kind of death or any means to death in itself is a contradiction to our belief, and we strongly oppose capital punishment. In line with this, we also believe that Jesus’ resurrection from death has made death a history, for no rule of death can overpower any form of life, and therefore as adherents of such a faith in Jesus, we are called to counter all forces of death right from its seeds till its totality. In view of this faith affirmation, we as committed disciples of Christian faith, need to oppose capital punishment, legal execution of life by hanging, to any one at any place. There are no two thoughts that execution of justice would been bringing the guilty to task, but there is no right for any one to stop the breath of life at any given situation or circumstance.

When many human rights agencies are fighting against death penalty, for they all affirm that such a punishment is against the very spirit of human rights and the cruelest denial of human rights, it is high time that we as Christians in India need to rise up to the occasion in advocating for promotion of life by calling the state in abolishing death penalty as means of exercising justice in this land of ours. May we therefore appeal to the President of India and the Central Government of India to abolish capital punishment and to revoke death sentence and grant life imprisonment to Murugan, Santhan, and Perarivalan, the three convicted for their involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and thereby extend the same to all other death prisoners in the queue. Let this campaign to say ‘no to capital punishment’ be carried on in our localities to put on pressure on the government, for state cannot dictate terms to ‘right to life.’

I wish to hear that the government officials come rushing to say that there was an error, for the judgment is “hang them not!” instead of “hang them.”

27^th August 2011

10th August 1950 An Unjust Story…

Plight HistoryOn the 14th August 1947, India was declared independent free from the union jack, where celebrations waved across India for the freedom it has attained. The Constitution of India came into force on the 26th January 1950, and on the same day was also declared India as a Republic, with the total sovereignty given to its citizens. But freedom for Dalits to choose their own religion to preach and practice has been curtailed with a Presidential Order in 1950.

It was on10th August 1950, the then President of India brought out the list of Scheduled Castes through a Presidential Order, which has been known as Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order of 1950. Unfortunately the President then included the clause that the Scheduled Castes need to be affiliated with a particular religion to receive such status and provisions. This inclusion of religion clause deters the freedom of religion to its citizens, and after several people’s movements protested, it was in 1956 Sikhism was added and in 1990 Buddhism was added to that order.

Plight ContinuesBut the plight of the Christians of Scheduled Caste origin and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origins still continue for they have been denied equal status like the other Dalits. The fight has been on and even after 59 years, justice to these our brothers and sisters is unfulfilled and unreachable. The Central Government sponsored National Commission for Religious and Linguistics Minorities (NCRLM) headed by Justice Ranghanath Misra has already submitted its report to the PMO, studying the discrimination done to religious minorities of Dalit origin, and reports confirm that the Commission has recommended to ‘de-link religion in granting Scheduled Caste status’. The Supreme Court is also hearing Public Interest Litigation in this regard and the judgment has been delayed by the delay from the Central Government’s response in delivering its opinion on the issue. The recent dharna for justice in New Delhi has instilled rays of hope for the communities who have been awaiting justice, though we have heard several unfulfilled promises from the politicians and leaders in the ruling parties. For politicians, though they express that this is a genuine struggle for justice, lack of political will on their part, for fear of majority religious fundamentalist forces and for reasons best known for a voices of tiny minorities in India have been going unheard or either told to deaf ears.

Price PaidHowever, 61 years of waiting for justice to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims was not an easy wait. When most Christians of Scheduled Caste origin were attacked and humiliated in the name of caste they were not protected under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for they are not Scheduled Castes according to the Government census. Most Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste have not been selected to most of the educational institutions and have been denied promotions in their jobs, because they are do not have a Scheduled Caste certificate like their other relatives, who still have either Hinduism or Buddhism as their religion on certificates.

Prosecuting JusticeAt this point it is interesting to note that some of the Christian leaders have told their congregations to openly write as Buddhists or Hindus on the Government issued caste certificates in order to avail the Scheduled Caste status, and are free to attend the Church and participate in its sacraments. On the other hand, there are few Christian Churches, who taught their congregations that to be Christian is to take up our Cross, and therefore not being granted Scheduled Caste status is the will of God on their part and is the Cross, which has to be bore in this world. So a tiny rich Christians are happy that they are not Scheduled Castes, like those others in the Church. These Christians discriminate the Scheduled Caste people within the Church, and proclaim the wrath of God by quoting Jesus’ words “ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angles.” (Luke 9: 26)

These quoting of Jesus’ words are from the people, who think their citizenship is only in heaven and not here and who are absolutely unaware of the Constitutional rights of citizens in India. This situation brings to the discussion the caste system prevailed within the Churches today. The upper caste rich Christians are self-content and do not have any discrimination or any facilities lacking for they are complacent and can achieve by paying money. Therefore they preach such things and force on the poor Dalit Christians. I really wonder, is fighting for Scheduled Caste status to Christians of Scheduled Caste origin is to be ashamed of Christ’s name? No not at all, on the other way those not fighting for the cause of Scheduled Caste Status for Christians are being ashamed of Christ’s name and the gospel of liberation preached by Jesus Christ.

Proceeding in Hope…Dharna after dharna, delegations after delegations, several ways of expressing our displeasure against the lethargy of the ruling governments continue and will continue, our peoples struggle for justice will thrive one day, for we are on the constant march towards justice and liberation. We dwell with a hope against hope, yet keeping our fingers crossed some times, holding our grips in tight, we are confident that justice will be triumphant   Wherever you are, kindly make sure you shall keep advocating and lobbying for this cause and personally I feel hope is not too far away. Let us take up advocacy for Dalit Christians as a faith issue and justice as a faith issue.

Let us not lose our hope,
Justice spiraled as a rope,
Building trust as we cope,
Victory will never grope.

Advocacy is a way of mission,
Conspiracy is nowhere in session,
Democracy within its vision,
Efficiency in all its commission.

Marching together side by side,
Searching inclusivity far and wide,
Torching rays of hope in stride,
Approaching justice in all its tide.
August 2011