The Global Council of Indian Christians in an appeal to India’s National Human Rights Commission on September 2 urged it “to take steps to see that the Christian institutions [in Karnataka] are not penalized for this action of solidarity and peaceful prayer for the victims of violence in Orissa [state]”.
More than 30,000 Christian schools and colleges across the country had remained shut on August 29 to protest at what they said was orchestrated violence against Christians in Orissa that has claimed more than 20 lives and left more than 50,000 Christian refugees fleeing their homes to escape attacks by Hindu extremists.
The same evening, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, the education minister of Karnataka government, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, a party accused of having a Hindu nationalist agenda, convened a news conference declaring that the government would take disciplinary action against Christian educational institutions that closed for the protest.
Sajan K. George, president of GCIC, which is based in Bangalore, told Ecumenical News International that hundreds of schools under Hindu management often shut down when Hindu groups call on schools, as well as businesses, to close in protests relating to political issues.
“But no such punitive action [by the government] is ever taken,” said George, pointing that Karnataka is the only state among five BJP-ruled states to initiate such an action.
Hmar Tlomte Sangliana, a Presbyterian member of the Indian parliament who was recently expelled from the BJP, told a press conference the government action aimed at punishing Christian institutions “smacks of communal hatred” and shows the BJP government’s “lack of awareness of social issues”.
“The whole world knows why we closed out institutions on the day,” Bishop Vasant Kumar, who heads the Church of South India’s Karnataka central diocese, told ENI. “We will defend our institutions.”
More than one thousand Christian educational institutions in Karnataka had
joined the national protest against anti-Christian violence in Orissa.
“When our Christians are being hounded in Orissa, we have every right to
show our concern,” said Roman Catholic Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore,
chairperson of the regional Catholic bishops’ council of southern Karnataka. Moras said he had received two notices from the educational department “to show cause why action should not be taken against you for using religion as an excuse, and announcing a holiday”. He asserted, “We have done nothing illegal.” He noted that as private institutions the schools were legally allowed to declare a certain number of holidays to
compensate people working extra days.
