Karunanidhi asks T.N. Bishop in Gujarat to return

By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR, DEC. 6. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, has asked the president of the Evangelical Society of India and chairman of the Tamil Nadu Minority Commission, Bishop Ezra Sargunam, to leave Gujarat and return home immediately, according to the Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Mr. Haren Pandya, here today.

Mr. Pandya showed reporters a copy of the fax message sent by Mr. Karunanidhi to his Gujarat counterpart, Mr. Keshubhai Patel, urging the Bishop in Vyara hospital in Surat district, to return home. The message also assured the Bishop that the issue of alleged attack on a church in Chhindia village of Vyara taluka, against which he launched an indefinite fast, could be taken up with an ``appropriate authority'' later. The Bishop was forcibly admitted to the Vyara Civil Hospital yesterday after his condition deteriorated.

The message, Mr. Pandya said, was in response to a request sent by the State Government pointing out that the Bishop was ``trying to instigate'' Christians in Chhindia village and creating a ``law and order problem''. The Tamil Nadu Government was also informed that the chairman of its Minority Commission had ``no jurisdiction'' over Gujarat and had adopted a stance of non- cooperation with the authorities.

Virtually blaming the Christians for the dispute over the church in the village, Mr. Pandya said the Government would take ``stern action'' against any one found ``instigating'' people. It was a ``deliberate scheme'' of the Christians to ``defame the BJP government in the State'', he claimed.

Denying knowledge of the involvement of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the incident of November 26 as alleged by the All-India Christian Council, the Minister said the land on which the ``so- called church'' was functioning actually belonged to Mr. Puniyabhai Ukadiabhai Kotwalia, a local tribal. Mr. Puniyabhai, who became a Christian some time ago, recently re-converted to Hinduism.

On November 29, the Christian Council lodged a complaint with the Vyara police stating that a group of VHP activists ``attacked the church'' in Chhindia village on November 26 and ``desecrated it''. Mr. Puniayabhai, meanwhile, accused Christian leaders of ``forcibly entering'' the ``premises owned by him'' and taking away the picture of a Hindu deity.

While the Council spokesman, Mr. Samson Christian, said the piece of land was jointly owned by seven persons who together handed it over to the local Christian community for building a church in 1996, Mr. Pandya claimed that according to government records, Mr. Puniyabhai was sole owner of the land and inherited it from his father. The ``church'' was actually a room in his residence which he had ``allowed local Christians to use as a prayer hall,'' Mr. Pandya said.

Mr. Christian had accused the local police of working hand-in- glove with the VHP in attacking the church in the presence of senior government officials including the District Collector and the District Superintendent of Police.

Mr. Pandya said the Revenue Department gave Mr. Puniyabhai ownership of the land in June, 1992, as he was cultivating it since 1975. Under the Tenancy Act, he had no authority to sell or re-allocate it to anyone else without the prior permission of the Government and there was no question of his giving the land for construction of a church.

But after Mr. Puniyabhai became a Christian in 1995, one of the rooms was used by local Christians as a prayer hall. He re- converted to Hinduism six months ago and since then has refused permission for the room to be used as a church.

Contrary to Mr. Samson Christian's claims, Mr. Pandya said a group of Christians forcibly entered the room on November 26 and removed the picture of a Hindu deity.

On a complaint filed by Mr. Puniyabhai, the Vyara civil court issued a stay on December 1 against the use of the land by either sides and fixed the hearing on December 12.

The issue could have been resolved earlier but for the adjournment sought twice on November 30 and December 4 by the local Christians on its hearing, Mr. Pandya claimed. He alleged that Bishop Sargunam went on an indefinite fast only after the civil court granted the stay.

The Christian Council also filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court against the stay granted by the Vyara civil court.

Mr. Pandya also refuted the Council's claim that 200 Christians had migrated from the village after November 26. The Vyara social justice committee chairman along with some other officials visited the village and found that all the people were staying in their respective houses, he said.

No migration had taken place as claimed by Mr. Christian, he stated and pointed out that in the village with a population of 1,500, over 75 per cent were Hindus and the rest Christians.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Basu calls for fight against 'evil forces'
Next     : Nedumaran wants Delhi to 'monitor' Colombo-LTTE
           talks