Attacks on Christians 'beyond tolerance'

Attacks on Christians 'beyond tolerance' Sakal Times blog March 19, 2015 German Hospital in Shrirampur is one of the oldest hospitals in Ahmednagar district. Although named as St Luke's Hospital, it is popularly known as German Hospital. This is because it was founded by German Jesuit priest Fr Ivo Meyer with the help of five German nuns belonging to the Medical Mission of Secular Institute congregation in 1952. As a young boy, I had watched Fr Meyer serving as Shrirampur parish priest, travelling in his jeep to visit villages in his parish.Years later I realised that Fr Meyer had baptised me as an infant on July 18 and also christened me as Camil as according to the Christian liturgical calendar that day was the feast of St Camil or St Camillus de Lellis. Many new hospitals providing more high-tech facilities to patients have sprung up in Shriramapur and nearby areas but the 200-bedded German Hospital continues to be a special hospital for the local populace. German or European nuns are now replaced by Indian nuns but the special treatment and service offered to the patients at very nominal cost continues to be the specialty of this hospital even today. Nityaseva Hospital at Shevgaon also run by Medical Mission of Secular Institute nuns offers medical services to the rural populace in Shevgaon taluka of Ahmednagar district. German Hospital and Nityaseva Hospital are a few of the several institutions including hospitals, schools, training centres and hostels run of the Christian priests and nuns in Ahmednagar district. These Christian religious personnel render service to the Hindu-dominated society, irrespective of the caste, religion or economic status of the patients. It is the same scenario at the national level as well. The Christian religious people have been serving in educational, health, social work and other sectors, seeing Jesus Christ in those people to whom they serve. They do not serve with an ulterior motive of converting the people among whom they work although the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would like to insist otherwise. This untiring and selfless service of these priests and nuns to local people comes to my mind while reading the news related to the recent assault on nuns in West Bengal and the sudden spate in the number of attacks on the Christian community in the country. These Christian religious men and women have been working in various parts of the country for the past many decades and have never experienced any kinds of hostility. On Sunday, I attended a meeting of Christians convened by Bishop Thomas Dabre in Pune to discuss the situation faced by the Christians in the country. There were many nuns and women and one could notice the tension and sense of insecurity felt by the gathered people. Expressing his anguish over the rape of the septuagenarian nun, bishop Dabre said that the situation in the country for the Christians was 'beyond tolerance'. Indeed very harsh words to be uttered by a Church official but they only expressed his strong feelings over the current situation. Christians in the country are certainly experiencing tension, insecurity and indignation due to the present situation. This is because the response of the authorities to the attacks on their community has been too late and too little. The attacks on the Christians seem to have some connection to the change of power in the country. In the past, it was mainly the Muslim community which was made target for violence and attacks by the fundamentalist organisations. This is for the first time that the Christian community as a whole is being threatened. India has been a secular country; the Constitution permits the citizens to live as per their religious values and customs without encroaching on others' similar rights. Breaking his long silence over the attacks against Christians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a month back assured to take steps to prevent the ongoing hate campaign against the community. Unfortunately things have not changed despite his warning to the trouble makers. There is furore among the members of the Christian community all over the country. The government needs to act urgently to prevent further damages to the secular and multi-religious fabric of the country.

Christian member in PMC is from MIM

Christian member in PMC is from MIM The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, otherwise referred to as a political party representing only the Muslim community, has provided the only Christian member in the newly elected Pune Municipal Corporation. Ashwini Daniel Landge, a MIM nominee, was elected a member of the Pune Municipal Corporation from the open woman category in panel number six from Yerwada. Incidentally Landge is also the MIM's only member in the 162-member House. The MIM had contested altogether 25 seats in the city. The party had hoped to win a few seats in Muslim-dominated Kondhwa and adjoining areas but failed to win any seats there. Apparently the social engineering done by Ashwini Landge and her local supporters led to her victory. The panel number six has a sizable number of voters belonging to the dalits, Muslims and Christian communities. Incidentally, all the other three elected members from this panel belong to the Shiv Sena. Landge has defeated her former standing committee chairperson Sangita Devkar of the Congress. The 32-year-old newly elected corporator has passed Std XII and is a homemaker. She says that local residents raised a fund to pay for her election campaign expenses including printing of pamphlets. The Landge couple who have two children stay in a rented premises near Gunjan Theatre in Yerwada. The corporator's husband, Daniel Landge, is a social worker, involved in helping the people in getting free medical help in various hospital and providing assistance to get their work done in various government establishments. “The local people had insisted that my husband who is a known social worker contest the civic polls. But he said entering politics would affect his social work and therefore suggested that I contest the polls,” says Ashwini Landge. Landge family is a member of the Christ Church located in Quartergate. The church had recently felicitated her after her electoral success. Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre has also congratulated the only Christian member in Pune Municipal Corporation on her poll victory. The 25 candidates fielded by the MIM belonged to various castes and religious backgrounds. These candidates contested in the A, B C and D categories reserved for other backward classes, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and also in open categories. Many Muslim candidates fielded by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress party have been elected to the Pune Municipal corporation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is the ruling party both in India and Maharashtra state had also nominated some Muslim candidates in the civic polls. The BJP has now for the first time won power in Pune Municipal Corporation. However none of the Muslim candidates fielded by the BJP in Muslim-dominant wards have been elected. Thus this will be for the first time that the ruling group in Pune Municipal Corporation will not have a single Muslim or minority face.