By Albert Thyrniang
On February 17 in our neighbouring state, Assam a detestable incident happened to a Catholic nun in a bus from Dudhnoi to Goalpara. The nun works in Siju town, South Garo Hills under Tura diocese. Having already traversed for over 100 km from her convent she never imagined that she had to encounter the horror on-board. A report says, “The nun was mocked by co-passengers, mostly Hindus, for her religious habit and faith before she was forcibly deboarded.” Midway she was ordered to alight from the bus by the conductor amid cheers from the passengers.
The uncalled for incident echoed in Meghalaya legislative assembly. Charles Pyngrope of the opposition, raised the issue during zero hour on February 22. He informed that the nun was harassed and subjected to derogatory and humiliating remarks by some passengers for her dress and Christian faith before being forced to get off the bus in an isolated location. The TMC MLA sought the government’s intervention with the Assam government to bring the culprits to book.
Agreeing with the concern, chief minister, Conrad Sangma, in his reply stated that he had already taken up the matter with Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma who assured action against the perpetrators. Sangma also informed the House that a bishop from Tura had already briefed him about the unfortunate incident. According to reports Auxiliary Bishop, Jose Chirackal who took up the matter with the Meghalaya government told that the nun was “traumatized” adding that the diocese demands action against people who humiliated the nun.
Siju MLA and education minister, Rakkam Sangma, also promptly wrote a letter to the Chief Minister urging him to raise the matter with the union government and the neighbouring state while seeking a probe on the condemnable treatment of the religious woman.
Details are awaited but why should such a shocking incident take place? This is the first time one has witnessed such abnormality. Everyone is free to don any religious dress. We see sadhus, seers, saints, gurus, mullahs, ordinary Muslims, priests and other nuns in religious attire in public places. ‘Yogi’ chief ministers and ministers wear their religious outfits even in offices. Even in parliament religious attire is not outlawed. Why should the particular nun be ridiculed in such a manner? How could one imagine that passengers did what they did just because the lady was a Christian nun?
The shameful instance is suspected to be a direct effect of the hate propaganda against Christians in the BJP ruled Assam. The chief minister himself is enthused with the right wing ideology for political mileage. He might have been taken into the BJP and was made chief minister to carry out the Hindutva agenda. As recently as February 12 the chief minister came up with the hardliner pleasing idea – banning ‘magical’ healing. His Cabinet approved a bill vowing to prohibit healing by evangelists as these practices dupe tribal people into conversion. This is the latest occasion when the chief minister has made accusations, purportedly also against Christians, for using inducements and allurements to convert tribals. Earlier he was often heard at gatherings counselling tribals to preserve their indigenous faith and practices and not to convert to other religions. Why should a chief minister preach religion? Why should a chief minister say, ‘Let Hindus remain Hindus, let Muslims remain Muslims, let Christians remain Christians, let adherents of indigenous religions remain so? Then why does anyone have a problem when and if others openly advocate for religious conversion? After all, all citizens under the union have the right to freely practice, profess and propagate a religion of one’s choice. If cases of fraud exist, prosecution must proceed, but without any basis, allegations are made for political expediency. Christian groups termed the chief minister’s equation of “magical healing” with proselytisation as ‘misguided and misleading’.
It is ironic that the chief minister has been giving financial incentives to tribal groups. Should we infer that without such ‘enticements’ they would not remain in their forefathers’ religion? We have also seen in the media cases of ‘ghar wapsi’ in the state. It is speculated that groups give cash and other rewards to individuals who renounce their adopted faith. These too are allurements and inducements. This too is illegal.
The government’s attitude has emboldened fanatical individuals and groups in the state to create fissures on religious lines. A person named Satya Ranjan Borah, president of the Kutumba Surakshya Parishad on February 7 led leaders of 10 organizations into a press conference issuing an ultimatum to Christian schools to remove all religious statues and other symbols from their schools within a fortnight. They also demanded that priests, nuns and religious brothers cease wearing their religious dresses in the school campuses. As always the right wing Hindu group accused Christian institutions of using their facilities for conversion. Subsequently some posters then appeared on walls of some schools. School authorities also reported that individuals went to Christian run schools demanding the dethroning of statues from their pedestals.
Why are such groups permitted to utter unconstitutional statements and indulge in such intolerance? Why are they patronised to create panic and inflame hatred? Whey is no action taken against such groups for threatening to upset harmony in the society? Statues and religious symbols adorn many private institutions across the world. The likes of Yogi Adityanath don their religious costume as chief minister in his office, in public functions and at all times. Then why should priests and nuns be deprived of the choice to wear their dresses? Even in some police stations, government and military establishments, religious altars are kept? Why should private schools be denied the right to have statues and symbols in their properties?
Fear and jealousy could be also a factor. Many don’t understand why Christian schools are so successful? In comparison to their tiny percentage (in Assam and nationally) Contribution of Christians towards education and general nation building are legion. A year ago the Assam, RSS-Affiliated organisation, Janajati Dharma-Sanskriti Suraksha Manch demanded that Article 342A of the Constitution of India be amended, that is, Christian tribals be delisted from the Scheduled Tribe status. The “Challo Dispur” call promising to gather one lakh tribals to make the union and state government punish tribals who have embraced Christianity was scheduled for a date.
It is amusing that Hindutva elements consider conversion as such only when ingenious tribals convert to Christianity. They don’t count when tribals convert to Hinduism. This is because they mislead the public by saying that tribal indigenous religions and Hinduism are the same. This is far from the truth. Tribals who follow their indigenous religions are not Hindus. In indigenous religions there is no concept of temple and deity. Certainly there are no Hindu deities in indigenous religions. They are animists who worship in nature. When Ram Mandir was consecrated in January many ‘indigenous tribals’ went to Ayodhya chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram.’ Ram is certainly not part of indigenous tribal religions. So those who did so might have converted to Hinduism. If Ram or any other deity makes his or her way to an indigenous religion then that is a new phenomenon. That indigenous religion is diluted if not changed. Conversion is conversion if one embraces Christianity or Islam or Hinduism or any other religion.
Religion is a matter of conscience. It is not political. In Assam a situation is crafted to prevail where Christians are made to feel targeted and threatened. As noted above Christianity made immense contributions to Assam. During the Assamese Language Movement for the recognition of Assamese as the official language in courts, government offices and as a medium of instruction in educational institutions right from the British rule in the nineteenth century, Christian missionaries played a big part.
One giant is Nathan Brown, the American Baptist missionary who is acknowledged for his invaluable works on Assamese language, grammar and script. Orunodoi, the first Assamese periodical was his creation. It was responsible for the survival of the Assamese language. He also promoted the language by publishing works of contemporary and historical Assamese scholars. Brown is one of the pioneers and champions of Assamese language and literature. The good works of Christians have continued ever since. However, there are elements today who are anti-Christian in their attitude and activism. If they are not subdued many other ‘Dudhnoi-Goalpara bus’ incidents will occur.