India update 11-04-08

Mon, 03/11/2008 - 11:09am STOP CONVERSION - SAYS RAJNATH TO CHURCH LEADERS IN BHUBANESWAR-
STOP CONVERSION - SAYS RAJNATH TO CHURCH LEADERS IN BHUBANESWAR YESTERDAY, BUT NOT RE-CONVERSION. CONVERSION IS THE MAIN REASON FOR KANDHAMAL VIOLENCE - HE SAID."
Bhubaneswar-3rd Nov-08 BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh ParivarClose on the heels of Kandhamal violence, the BJP on last Sunday asked the Church leaders to refrain from conversion activities and also asked the union Govt. to formulate Law to review cases of change in faith throughout the Country.Mass Conversion means there is motive behind it. "Those who are engaged in doing so should introspect," BJP President Mr. Rajnath Singh told the media persons here accompanied by the General Secretary and Orissa in charge Mr. Vinay Katiyar Singh who came on a day's visit to attend the Party's extended State Council meeting. Religion is the identity of the Country and freedom of Religion cannot be allowed to be misused," he quoted. Singh's reaction was in the line of debate on the Kandhamal issue at the meeting where the members linked the August 23 Killing of Swamiji to his continues campaign against conversion. He also stated that the OFRA in 1967 should be implemented strictly. The BJP leader said it was time the Central Govt. came up with Central Law to scrutinize all cases of conversion. The BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh Parivar. The CM has gone on record describing VHP and Bajrang dal as "fundamentalist organizations," with officials describing a number of persons arrested on the charges of rioting in Kandhamal dist. as member of Sangh Parivar. The BJP President chose to ignore all questions on the Chief minister's remarks. " I will talk to him in the matter," all that he said.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Sun, 02/11/2008 - 7:14pm RSS involved in making bombs: Digvijay Singh
Bhopal (PTI): AICC General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on Sunday alleged that the RSS and its affiliated organisations were involved in making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and demanded enactment of a tough federal law to deal with such elements.
"I have been saying this for long that RSS and its affiliated organisation are making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and the same has been proved with the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya in connection with the Malegaon blasts case," Singh told reporters here.
"I demand from the Congress-led UPA government to make a strict federal law to deal with the growing menace of communalism," he said adding a bill was pending with the Lok Sabha's Standing Committee in this regard.
Singh demanded that such a law should also take care of distribution of pamphlets spreading communal hatred among the people.
He also demanded a probe into the sudden prosperity of Sadhvi's family and alleged that she also campaigned for Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the Gujrat elections.
RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal held for abduction
RSS pracharak in police net for ‘helping’ abductors of girlBhubaneswar, November 1 : The Orissa Police on Saturday arrested former RSS pracharak Paresh Nayak on charges of assisting and abetting the abduction and forced marriage of an 18-year-old girl who was missing since the last five months from her home in Kendrapara district.
Nayak was taken into custody after the missing girl was traced to a house in Bhubaneswar on Saturday morning along with one Rajesh Nayak, 45, said to be the associate of the one-time RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Central India
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Sun, 02/11/2008 - 1:16pm “Good will ambassador “of India honoured in America for his deafening silence of genocide of Christians in Orissa
Atlanta-1st Nov-08Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is on a 'Fall tour ' in three major American cities to show case his brand of Hinduism.In Houston, this new age guru Sri Ravishankar -according to his organizations media campaign, will be proclaimed as the honourary citizen and honorary Good will ambassador. In the city of Atlanta,the head quarters of CNN he will be presented with the Phoenix award.Sri Sri Ravishankar is reported to have signed an MOU with mayor of Houston ,Mr Bill white to conduct stress and relief programme ,the city youth ,returning war veterans.
Ironically, this New Age Guru maintained deafening silence when Christians were butchered and burnt alive in Kandhamal district of Orissa.Rev.Fr Bernard died as a result of the brutal assault a religious sister Sr Meena was savagely raped by the Hindutva activists in Orissa, and this pogrom to eliminate Christians in Orissa, was not even condemned by this self-titled messenger of peace and goodwill.
The Sangh Prarivar involvement in attacking nuns,priests and peaceful Christian are, suppressed, under-projected or forgotten with ease by the social thinking process.
A Social Audit should be conducted to investigate the use of the funds pouring into Sangh Pariviar coffers for Social work in India, these funds are being used by these radicals where thousands of impressionable minds are being fed- hate campaigns
His close association with Dr Praveen Togadia and other Hindutva outfits in Karnataka and Orissa confirm that he is the 'modern mask' the Bajarng Dal and other Hindutva outfits systematically carried out over 960 attacks against Christians ,as reported by Global council of Indian Christians (GCIC).
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
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Sun, 02/11/2008 - 12:57pm Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail for its former criminal chief
Mahendra Kumar, ex-state convenor of Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail in all the cases booked against him in the state for inciting the attacks on Christian prayer centres. On release he directed the Karnataka state Government immediate enactment of anti-conversion law and anti-cow slaughter acts in Karnataka
He was released from the city sub-jail before noon on Saturday November 1.Kumar had already been granted bail in the cases filed against him in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts but he had opted not to go out on bail because of a body warrant issued against him by the Chikmagalur court.
The court in Chikmagalur granted him bail in the case pending against him there, on Friday October 31. His advocate P P Hegde had said on Friday that Kumar would be released as soon as the Chikmagalur court order reaches the court .
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
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Sat, 01/11/2008 - 4:22pm More army officers questianed in connection with Mumbai bomb blasts
Malegaon blasts registrar held for questioning
Saturday, November 01, 2008, (New Delhi)In the latest investigations into the Malegaon blast, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad has picked up Retd Col Raikar, the Registrar of Bhonsala Military school in Nashik, for questioning.
He is said to be close to Lt Colonel Srikant Purohit -- a serving officer who has moved under Army supervision to Mumbai to facilitate the questioning by the Anti-terror Squad.
His brother is an Inspector with the Andheri Police. He was earlier with the Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch.
Retired major Ramesh Upadhyay of the Territorial Army who has been arrested is said to be one of the trainers at the Bhonsala Military School.
The other linkage is to Right wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat -- a Pune based group revived by relatives of Veer Savarkar of which Major Upadhyay is a member.
And so is Sameer Kukarni, a Hindu activist from Bhopal. Abhinav Bharat openly professes a tit-for-tat policy when it come to terrorism.
Meanwhile, a team of policemen from Gujarat are in Mumbai to question accused sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, though initial investigations show neither she nor any of the Malegaon blast accused were involved in the Modasa blasts.
She has been taken to the Forensic Science Lab in Kalina where she's expected to undergo brain mapping and polygraph tests on Saturday. She has already gone through a narco test on Friday.