Nirmala Carvalho

In Kokrajhar, the epicenter of the riots between Muslim settlers and natives, a Salesian priest describes the conditions of 15 thousand tribal refugees in the camps of the diocese. Burned houses, killed livestock and devastated land. The risk of spreading diseases, especially among the elderly, children and pregnant women.

A 2007 ordinance bans propagating other religions in the area. Three Christians are arrested for possessing propaganda material after temple authority find Christian posters and material in their homes. For the Global Council of Indian Christians, the action is unconstitutional.

Since 2012, 20 incidents perpetrated in the State by ultra-nationalist Hindus. The latest victims are six Pentecostal Christian families (Gadag district) and an evangelical community (Bijapur district), attacked in the privacy of their homes. False accusations of forced conversion trigger violence.

The priest is in Kokajhar, where the violence first erupted. Toll rises to 32 victims, 170 thousand displaced. Indigenous Bodo most affected: 70% of the population have lost their land, 90% of them live on agriculture alone.

Mgr Thomas Pulloppillil, from the diocese of Bongaigaon, talks about the violence that broke out between tribal Bodos and Muslim settlers in Korajhar District. At least 17 people have been killed, and another 30,000 fled their villages out of fear.

The term refers to Muslims forced conversions of girls on the promise of a marriage. The Kochi police have arrested a woman who converted to Islam on charges of ties to terrorist activities. Christian and Hindu groups launch campaigns of hatred, but the chief minister Oomen Chandy (Christian) warns against using pretext of interfaith marriages to harass the Islamic community.

In Karnataka, a Pentecostal pastor was beaten by Hindu ultra-nationalists and detained for forced conversions. In Maharashtra, Hindu activists attacked the tribal Christians. A church under construction in Haryana destroyed. All on the same day.

This is the charge of an activist who defends the fishing communities of the State. Tamil Nadu abandons its migrant workers. Two days ago, an American naval vessel fired on the fishing vessel off the coast of Dubai. On board were six Indians and two citizens of Dubai. In addition to the victim, three other Indians wounded.

The Bishop of Vasai has translated the Pope's letter into Marathi and distributed it throughout the diocese. With materialism, which stops at appearances, life becomes a huge burden. The example of Mother Teresa for a testimony of faith that enlivens even inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism.

"The Holy Father has never interfered in the internal affairs of the [Chinese] government," said the secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. The latter "should refrain from interfering in the pastoral and spiritual fields with its unlawful appointments of bishops. It should allow the Church to function independently and freely." Freedom of religion is "important in the whole world. It is fundamental for the full development of a country and its population."

Bishop Joseph Aind SDB, Bishop of the Diocese of Dibrugarh, explains: "People need to rebuild their dignity." Half a million people live in refugee camps, in shelters or other ecclesiastical structures. The floods have washed away homes, plantations, trees and animals. Local diocesan Church and NGOs distribute mosquito nets, dried food, tents and medicine.

The state's chief minister plans to limit minority rights to schools where at least 75 per cent of students belong to minorities. Most minority schools would be excluded. For the archbishop of Bangalore, the government is twisting the law to "harass minorities" and "turn Karnataka into a Hindu state."