FIGHTING IMPUNITY: THE SAGA OF A VICTIM OF TORTURE

Reflection on the UN International Day In Support Of Victims Of Torture on 26th June

Ground Zero
“Fighting Impunity” has been the theme for the 2014 campaign in support of victims of torture, and this aptly suits our contexts as most heinous crimes committed in our land, be it in the name of caste, name of religion, name of gender, name of class, name of region etc. they are all committed with utmost impunity. The oppressive forces, the perpetrators of violence take for granted the fragile situations of our times and continue to violate the rights of the people and are at the end left scot free, for they have the shield of impunity around them. Impunity is the affirmation of the status quo, the principalities and powers of the unjust systems, the failure of the state to investigate the violations and to bring to justice those perpetrators of crimes. The infamous Tsundur case in Andhra, where some 20 Dalits are brutally massacred, after about two decades of investigation, the accused are left scot free on the pretext of insufficient evidence. The violence against Dalit Christians in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2008, justice has been far from being exercised and the perpetrators are left scot free. There are scores of such stories, where the victims of violence continue to be the victims of torture and on the other hand the perpetrators enjoy impunity and continue their oppression. Recent Badaun case of raping & killings of Dalit girls in Uttar Pradesh to the global context of oppression in the name of occupation to the Palestinians, the saga of the victims of torture resonates the same cry for justice. The saga of the victims of torture knew no bounds, and their plights are not being heard and justice is a far reached dream to such people.

The Saga
The first Chapter in the book of Esther in the Bible has a record of an interesting story of a woman who became a victim of torture at the hands of her husband who was sufficiently guarded by his royal impunity, and ultimately faded away from the records of the Scripture, risking gospel for the sake of gospel. Her saga is a testimony and a challenge for all of us to commit ourselves to be in solidarity with the victims and in pooling support for all the victims of torture today. She is none other but the bold & the beautiful royal queen Vashti.

Her Excellency Queen Vashti, was the royal queen to King Ahasuerus who ruled from India to Ethiopia with over one hundred and twenty seven provinces in his kingdom. The King threw a party to his leaders from all his provinces in order to show his riches of his royal glory and splendour & pomp of his majesty. Subsequently the Queen also has given a banquet to the women in the palace. When the party was at its peak and when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he ordered to bring Queen Vashti before the King dressed in her royal crown in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty. Queen Vashti, refused to come at the King’s command and consequently became a victim of King’s anger that even lead to her being dethroned as the Queen.

Queen Vashti, the Victim of Indignity
When the King ordered her to do a catwalk on his royal ramp, Queen Vashti denied the King’s order for she strongly believed in her self-respect and self-dignity. For the Queen her values were more prominent in life and no force or person can neither influence her values nor compel her to compromise her values. The Queen knew that refusal and disobedience to King’s order would cost her a lot, however being conscious of the consequences she was bold enough to stand for her dignity. By refusing to display her beauty, Queen Vashti displayed her inner beauty of self-dignity. Her self-dignity priced her to be dethroned, for she became a victim to the forces of indignity and indecency.

Queen Vashti, the Victim of Patriarchy
For the King Ahasuerus, her queen the woman was yet another material thing like that of his riches and wealth. As he showed off his riches of his kingdom to his guests, he thought he could have easily show off the external and physical beauty of his wife Queen Vashti and make his guests happy and joyful. The King did not also realise that beauty and human sexuality are the gifts of God that needs to be respected in all solemnity and sacredness. The forces of patriarchy governed him and therefore he could not have respected his wife as his equal partner in life. On listening to the other men folk, he was forced to pass a decree that any woman who does not obey the commands of their husbands will have to face similar consequences like the Queen. Queen Vashti, became of victim of patriarchy.

Queen Vashti, the Victim of Torture
Imagine the plight of Queen Vashti, who had to be thrown away from her palace to the streets of her kingdom, just for the sake of sticking to her values of self-dignity and self-esteem. She was sent away from her husband’s house on to the streets and men of her country would have laughed at her and would have mocked at her insulted her and even teased her like, “Vashti, who wanted to be the Mother of Self-Dignity, who wanted to be the forerunner for women’s rights is now on the streets without any shelter”. She became a divorcee, a single woman and her pains knew no bounds. Patriarchical forces try to take advantage of single woman that too of the one who was a queen, and Queen Vashti would have underwent a trauma and torture, which was unbearable and unexplainable. Added to her pain, when the King called for fresh applications to the post of his wife and the news whoever pleases the King would be made the Queen instead of Queen Vashti, would have added fuel to the fire to the torture she was undergoing then. There would have been a great mental agony and emotional torture for Queen Vashti. In all silence and in all loneliness she bore the torture in her life, just for the sake of values and principles in life. There would not been any space for her to share or ventilate her feelings, all her feelings could have been blocked up and piled up within her. If I may be allowed to stretch my imagination, I would probably think Queen Vashti would have died a death out of torture from all quarters of her life and therefore that would have been one for the reasons for not finding her name or a mention of her again in the Scriptures. From royality to indignity, the saga of torture of Queen Vashti goes on and even continues in many lives of the women today.

Challenge
When today, June 26th when we remember this day as the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Queen Vashti’s saga of torture comes afresh to all of us. Even today many Dalits are beaten up, ostracised, humiliated and even killed. Dalit women’s plights are way above words, every day several Dalit women are raped, abused and are murdered. Dalit Children have been one of the worst victims of Child Labour, most of them are undernourished and have been used and abused in life. Dalits continue to be the victims of torture today. Violence on Dalits has been a common phenomenon and the discrimination on Dalits over the years has become so subtle and aggressive. Dalit Christians are in the arena of torture for neither the legislature nor the judiciary have been listening to their pains and doing justice to them. Sixty plus years of waiting for justice, imagine their trauma of victim-hood. Torture has become the common denominator with which all Dalits in India are living today. Palestinian friends continue to face torture and illegal detention by the occupiers and face hardships in their life for over the several years, with justice & liberation to them a distant reality.

When today is the day called to be in support to the victims of torture, and in the light of the Queen Vashti’s saga of torture, who really did come in support of Queen Vashti, the victim of torture? The Scripture is absolutely silent on it, and no wonder to say none would have dared to come in support of the dethroned Queen. As a victim of torture, Queen Vashti had to stand all alone and in all loneliness. Who dared to come in support of her? …None of her relatives would have come in support of her fearing the King’s decree, none of her friends came in support of her, none of her prayer partners came in support of her, none of her community members came in support her, none of her temple partners came in support of her, none of the royal wives of the princes in their provinces came in support of her, none of the kingdom authorities like the women welfare ministries came in support of her, none of her co-women in her provinces came in support of her (how sad the kingdom spread from India to Euthopia, and there was none to be with her and stand for her), no one came in support of her, for every one feared the wrath of the king. Queen Vashti had to live support-less and had to live in all torture all through her life, what a torture it would have been. Unbearable and unthinkable! On the other hand, the king enjoyed impunity, for no one dared to speak against the king. Queen Vashti fought impunity in her silence and risked to be forgotten from the scriptural tradition, for she was a fighter standing for her own convictions of self dignity.

There are many Vashti’s today in our societies who are living in a torturous life. Queen Vashti eventually vanished from the story of the Scriptures, but I think her life, her witness and her spirit continues to call on all of us today to be in support of all those victims of torture, like those people who are kept in illegal detention, people who are tortured in the name of caste, abused physically and verbally, beaten, intimidated, threatened, false cases imposed, money extorted, etc. Let us express our solidarity with these victims and resolve today to address these strategies of victim-hood with a commitment to justice. Queen Vashti calls for a response of prevention, reduction and elimination of all forms of torture today, fight impunity at all costs for no one is above justice and strive for a just and transformed society. Come, let us stand in solidarity and support the victims of torture from this day on, let us enlarge our tents in bringing in support to these our fellow brothers and sisters who are living in abject torture and trauma.

Towards a Ministry of Advocacy: A Pentecost Call

Pentecost is a very significant period of time in the liturgical calendar of the Church, a time to renew our faith in Holy Spirit, a time to be refreshed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and a time to rejuvenate our dedication in making the relevance of Church felt by communicating in the tongues of the localities of our times. The first Pentecost as recorded in New Testament happened at a time, when there was fear, peace-less-ness, timidity, and perplexity among the disciples of Jesus Christ. At that very stroke of the Pentecost, as the resurrected Christ ascended into heavens, the Holy Spirit poured down on the creation, the disciples of Jesus Christ came open and the Church went out. Some have noted the day of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church, for the genesis of Church as a communion of people in God, Church as a movement of people in God began from that very day of the Pentecost.

In the gospel of John, in 14^th Chapter from 15^th verse, we see Jesus promising to send Holy Spirit as an advocate to this world, which again Jesus communicates the arrival of comforter Holy Spirit in the context when the disciples were troubled in their hearts after the last supper episode in the previous chapter. Jesus in 16-17 verse says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” According to the Johannine Jesus, Holy Spirit is the successor of his ministry of advocacy, for that is the reason it is recorded as ‘another’ Advocate.

Holy Spirit for Succession of Advocacy: According to Jesus, the characteristic of Holy Spirit is to be a successor of the ministry of advocacy. It was only in the early Church the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit came into emphasis, otherwise for Jesus, Holy Spirit is the successor of advocacy. Jesus is him life and ministry has always been on the mission of advocacy, advocating for the rights of the outcastes, the rights of the children, the rights of women and the rights of those that have been on the margins of the society. Therefore, Holy Spirit succeeds Jesus Christ in carrying forward the mission engagements of advocacy, defending the rights of the vulnerable and those that been pushed to the margins. Therefore the promise of Holy Spirit is to see that mission is in progress, the reign of God is in progress, and that we as celebrants of Pentecost, are called to be part of joint heirs with Jesus Christ in the mission of advocacy, whom Jesus gave us to lead with.

Holy Spirit for Accession of Intimacy: According to Jesus, the advocate Holy Spirit, the comforter Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, whom the world unrecognized due to the filling of powers and principalities. The arrival and outpouring of Holy Spirit is to lead creation into an accession of intimacy with the Triune God, building intimacy among one another and also building intimacy among the Creator and the Creatures. Pentecost is a celebration of the intimacy that one enjoys with one another and with the Triune God. Therefore the down pouring of Holy Spirit needs to establish healing and intimacy among broken relationships between human beings and God, between human beings and creation and between human beings and human beings. Pentecost is a restoration of relationships, intimate relationships, which furthers the reign of God here on earth.

Pentecost is a time to implore on to the mission engagements of advocacy as part of our Christian calling, striving for justice and peace in our own localities and contexts.

It is noted that “we argue that involvement in advocacy is vital, both practically and theologically, to the Church’s calling to bring about justice, speak out truth, defend the poor and oppressed, and to work to redeem the whole of creation. Advocacy involved both tackling individual cases of injustice or poverty and tackling systems and structures that allow this injustice to happen. Advocacy is firmly rooted in the hope and promise we have for a better future and we do it in the confidence that God is working his purposes out. We look forward to justice, not backwards to revenge, and are involved as part of our calling to be salt and light of the world.” [1]

Why Advocacy? :Advocacy is a Biblical calling – God of the Bible is an advocating God, for he raises prophets on God’s behalf to advocate for the cause of justice and peace, for God the Holy Spirit continues to be the advocate and comforter in journeys of faith and struggles. For it is the advocate God Holy Spirit, who grants her humanity the gifts and fruits of Spirit (I Cor 12 & Gal 5 :22), for they are to be exercised for the good of creation and the sake of the rein of God principles. Holy Spirit as an advocate installs the interceding spirit among her people, for she teaches them how to pray and what to pray. Holy Spirit God challenges all her people to become advocates like her, for she advocates, therefore her people also should advocate for the cause of justice and peace. God the Holy Spirit, created human beings to be the responsible stewards of the creation. God, the Holy Spirit raised Abraham to advocate on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, raised advocate Moses to advocate on behalf of the Israelites, raised Esther to advocate on behalf of her people to the King. Jesus advocated for the rights of the people and even sent an Advocate Holy Spirit to be with the creation. New earth and new heavens is required – so lets advocate for the cause of creation by addressing climate change, addressing oppression & discrimination, violence against women, rights of Dalit & Tribal communities etc. which are the signs of our times and in our localities.

Pentecost is a time to respond to the call for advocacy, and make Holy Spirit more relevant to our situations.  Wishing you all a very meaningful season of Pentecost.

“Speak open for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction, speak open, judge righteously and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

  

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[1] Graham Gordans & Bryan Adams, “The mission of the Church and the role of advocacy” discussion paper, July 2002, Pg. 9. also on www. tilz. info

Speak, Listen & Communicate Peace: Pentecost Perspectives

The celebration of the festival of Pentecost as per the Christian liturgical calendar, which also begins the observance of the World Week of Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI) from 28^th May to 3^rd June 2012, happens in the context of growing unrest in Palestine, with the threat of ‘occupation’ intensifying, with displacement, dispossession, and discrimination on the rise, with peace in Palestine Israel becomes a distant reality only to witness the records of human rights violations growing by leaps and bounds. The struggles of the people in Palestine knew no bounds, for they have become prey to several vicious forces like Zionism, fundamentalism, oppression, political tyranny, etc. fighting hope against hope that there would be better future for the generations to come, where freedom and liberty would over-arch their children to live life.

In such a context, the first Christian Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2 provide us a challenge to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, to stand in solidarity with the voices around, the voices which have been unheard all these years. The first Pentecost happened at a time, when there was fear, peace-less-ness, timidity, and perplexity among the disciples of Jesus Christ. At that very stroke of the Pentecost, as the resurrected Christ ascended into heavens, the Holy Spirit poured down, the disciples of Jesus Christ came open and the Church went out. One can decipher three important challenges from the early Pentecost, which have a tremendous relevance to our settings today.

a.      Pentecost is a challenge to speak in other’s language

When the Holy Spirit came down as a violent wind over the disciples of Jesus, they all began to speak in other’s language as the Spirit gave them ability (4v). To speak in other’s language, one needs to know that language, for only then they can add meaning to those words they speak. The miracle of Pentecost was that the disciples were able to communicate in other’s language, which was a surprise package to all those in Jerusalem. Communicating in a foreign language is only to build a community of friendship and peace, for those very syllables of a new language becomes the sprouting seeds of establishing a community, transcending boundaries of every kind. Speaking in other’s language is a first step in comprehending the struggles of those others, and there by voicing it out for the benefit of all over there. Language represents the very ethos of that particular community, and speaking it out is a stepping stone in expressing solidarity with those speakers of that language. In our context today, the challenge for us all is to speak the other’s language to join them in voicing out for their cause. Let us resolve to speak in the language of Palestinians, their cry for freedom and their cry for justice. The call by Palestinian Christians to ‘Come & See’ is an opportunity to witness their struggles so that we can learn their language and pain.

b.      Pentecost is a challenge to listen to one’s native language

The Holy Spirit not only convinces to speak in other’s language it also challenges people to listen to one’s native language. Most times our listening has been pretentious and peripheral. The message of the gospel, the message of peace comes to us in our native language, for the miracle of incarnation lies in the word becoming flesh, and we need to receive it.  All our learning of theology, affirmations of faith have only been transliterated and are not translated according to our particular contexts, and therefore the challenge is to speak in other’s language and convert it to our own language, in situations of pain and suffering. Gospel of peace listened in a local dialect has more meaning and relevance for one gets challenged to apply it in one’s life. When can people listen the gospel of peace in their native local languages? When people assert in their localness, when one can understand the pain and pathos of the local communities, when one is challenged to communicate that word has become flesh, one can listen to the still small voice of nativity. In these days of increasing foreignness in our thought pattern and language, our local communities are deprived of listening to their native languages, and are even forced to think that their native languages are unpolished and unrefined, and even branded them as ‘uncultured.’ In the context of Palestinian struggles, let us support the local language of Palestine, and make the people in Palestine Israel to assert their localness and to listen to the gospel of peace in their local language. As global community we need to advocate for the rights of these our friends, and be in support of their local initiatives of freedom and justice.

c.       Pentecost is a challenge to communicate your conviction for peace

On that Pentecost, when the disciples were speaking in tongues according to the measure of the Holy Spirit, the visitors there thought that these disciples were drunk. Peter then had to stand up firm on his toes along with his other colleagues, for this was the first opportunity for him to affirm his faith and conviction in the risen Jesus Christ and had to boldly defend their conviction in the gospel of peace in Jesus Christ. Peter spoke so eloquently, so inspiringly and so passionately, that on that single day the Pentecost could witness some three thousand people adhering to the values of Jesus Christ. Misconceptions these days are on the rise, rumours, blaming and branding have become the norm of the day, for the ‘survival of the fittest’ has its day. In such a context, Pentecost challenges us to get inspired to communicate our conviction for peace, which would require critical analysis of the context and a deeper knowledge of the situation, for it is peace of promoting life are the virtues that would rule our assessments. In the context of Palestine, there have been several misconceptions and brandings on these our friends, where even Scriptures have been thoroughly used in maligning their image for freedom and justice. This day of Pentecost should challenge us to overcome all those camouflaged images and should challenge us to communicate our vision for peace in this land and elsewhere. Peter was not alone when he stood up to speak his conviction, the rest of the eleven disciples stood along with him and they could convince people on the gospel of peace in which and in whom they have believed.

Let us all therefore resolve to pray, educate and advocate for peace in Palestine Israel, and the day of Pentecost is an opportunity to make this day relevant and appropriate. May God empower us all with Holy Spirit.

Chirp for the Sparrow and Tweet for the Sparrow

A childhood musing on a Sparrow 

It was a summer holiday time at home, I was about 9 years old, and as children we were all playing carom board till later very night, so had to get up late in the morning. That morning, it was still very early; the sun is still to show forth its ferociousness, a cousin of mine runs home to say that a small bird, which in Telugu we say picchuka (house sparrow) fell on the ground hurt, and is battling for life. In no moment, the news spread across our friends circle, and all of us gathered there to witness that bird, in its dying moments. Some suggested giving that bird some water to drink, some others brought burnol to apply to its wounds, some said we shall sprinkle some face powder on her body, someone whispered why don’t we rush that bird to one of our neighbouring uncle who is a veterinary doctor for some first aid, some even did not forget to say that we better share it with our pastor uncle for some prayers of healing. The little tiny bird was counting its breath; the gathering of our friends was bulging in making efforts to save that tiny one. The bird’s right leg was bruised badly with oozing of blood around, her eyes becoming still, winking them in a very slow pace on and off. The just woke up faces of all our friends were turning blue to see her pain. Even the house elders in my cousin’s home came to enquire whats happening in that back yard of their house. On knowing that it was a dying bird, they thought it was a ludicrous matter and gave no heed to that bird. On the other hand they even thought that the children are crazy for their surrounding the dying bird.

As the day light crawled out, darkness crept into the bird’s life. The sparrow breathed her last, as her winking eye stood still, her bruised leg stopped shivering and her body started to become cold. The tiny beautiful sparrow is no more is the news around. We the children folk became silent, for some tears rolled on our cheeks, some of our elder cousins regretted that they couldn’t save the bird for all of their efforts turned vain. There was resentment among them, sadness among all of us, the bright sunny day turned to be a very gloomy day for all of us. In such disappointing situation, everyone started to pay their last respects to that beautiful darling. And one of our cousin said, this beauty deserves a decent burial at least, for in her dying moment we anyway couldn’t give her life and said let us bury this tiny sparrow, and try to bring dignity to her death and to the bird herself.  What was a burial, and who should perform it and how should it be done??? Lots of questions puzzled around. The elder cousin instructed some of us to pluck flowers from our neighbourhood, some he said to get the worn out candles, which we used during the night at power cuts. By then the elder cousins dug a small grave for the bird, and brought a brick to lay over it. When again all of us re-assembled, our elder cousin brought our hymn book which had both the songs and the liturgy for a funeral. We all sang the song in Telugu “Till we meet…” and then he read out the prayers from the liturgy. The bird was now placed in that grave, and as he read out ‘from dust we came, to dust we go’ all standing there put some mud in the grave and finally the brick was placed on top of it. They then instructed to place the flowers and the candles on top of that grave. For all the children there, the bereavement made an imprint on our lives that we couldn’t save that tiny sparrow and bring it to life. We all bid our farewell to that beautiful sparrow that day.

Sparrows have become rare, keep them in care,

For the earth cant spare that, for it only scares

For they make a scar on to God’s creativity

Lets join to preserve the biodiversity

And keep up the creations integrity

“Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.” Prov 26: 2

Raj Bharath Patta

World Sparrow Day 2012

 20^th March 2012

O Little Town of Bethlehem

I thought young Joseph would be there welcoming

but it were young men with guns at checkpoints incoming

I thought young Mary would be there welcoming

But it were young women with guns at checkpoints incoming

I thought then it would be the manger that’s welcoming

but shockingly, it was the huge concrete wall of separation.

              a wall of division

              a wall of segregation

              a wall of occupation

              a wall of humiliation

              a wall of discrimination

Making the birth of Jesus’ place invisible.

O Jesus, come now to be born again here

              to break these walls of domination

              to tear down these walls of demonization

              to break open the cruel hearts of oppressions

              to restore liberation and peace on this earth

              and to bring glad tiding of joy to all these people

Come Jesus, and come now!

In hope I leave, only to return to see Joseph, Mary and 

baby Jesus - in all freedom - in this land.




(In response to the invitation of 'Come & See' given by Kairos Palestine, this prayer was penned as was exposed to the ground realities of walls at Bethlehem)

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