Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Misquoting a Christian leader in the local press was enough to spark violence by Hindu fundamentalits against a convent in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

In a press conference given in Gwalior on April 4 for the launch of a campaign on behalf of discriminated Christian Dalits, John Dayal, General Secretary of the All India Catholic Union, mentioned the assurances given by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Christian community.

A local paper, Dainik Bhaskar, reported that in his speech Dayal called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS "the Number One enemy of the Christians". The RSS is the armed wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The quote, "false" according to Dayal when he spoke to AsiaNews, roused anger among Hindu fundamentalists who on the evening of April 5 attacked the Carmel Convent School in Gwalior.

After storming the school they burnt effigies of John Dayal. Only the quick intervention of the police prevented further damage.

However, the fundamentalist attackers demanded that the Church apologise for what Dayal alleged statement, threatening further action against other Church-owned organisations should it fail to do so.

Mr Dayal later explained what he said to the state government, Gwalior city officials and local religious leaders. Still, he was "grieved and alarmed at the violence in Gwalior against Christians, their church and institutions".

"I appeal," he further said, "to the Madhya Pradesh government and the Gwalior administration to take urgent steps to restore the confidence and security of the small Christian community in the city"

Speaking to AsiaNews, he explained that "[p]eople and political groups with extremist and fundamentalist ideas have a right to differ with my views. They even have a right to burn my effigy. But they do not have a right to wreak vengeance on innocent nuns and priests and ordinary Christian men and women."

"It is quite obvious that I have been mischievously and horribly misquoted," he insisted. "I had come to Gwalior to attend the Easter Milan meeting, which later became a public meeting to pay tribute to the Holy Father [. . .]. All senior Congress and BJP leaders of Gwalior attended the meeting. In my speech I highlighted the Pope's focus and emphasis on inter-faith dialogue and respect for different faiths. [. . .] I never attacked any religion".

Mr Dayal added: "Our campaign has been against fundamentalism, bigotry and violence [. . .]. We have always made a difference between the Hindu faith, which we honour and respect, and Hindutva, which is a political ideology of the Sangh Parivar."

"We believe that it is the Hindu majority and the Constitution which keep India secular and it minorities safe. We work very closely with prominent Hindu religious leaders and social activists."

Elsewhere in India, violent anti-Christian and anti-conversion campaigns continue unabated.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr Joseph Augustine Charanakunnel, Archbishop of Raipur, capital of the state of Chattisgarh, said that "Hindu fundamentalists and local media accuse missionaries of forcing people to convert to Christianity. They carry out cheap anti-conversion propaganda,  staging re-conversion ceremonies in which people are 'return' to Hinduism from Christianity."

"I have already written in the press that the Church does not forcibly convert anyone. On the contrary, I have condemned this practice myself," the Archbishop said.

"Hindu fundamentalists", he noted, "pick on Tribals because they are an easy target. For this reason, the Church has the duty of protecting these helpless people".

The pro-BJP Chief Minister of Chattisgarh Raman Singh, said that conversion to Christianity was a major problem in his state. He accused former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, a Christian, of being too favourably disposed towards Christian missionaries.
According to Dainik Bhaskar daily, the state of Chattisgarh is planning to tighten its existing anti-conversion laws because of the rising number of conversions to Christianity among Tribals.