AICC condemns village body issuing diktat to Christians

All India Christian Council (AICC) has condemned village authority in tiny Northeast Indian state of Manipur for serving "unconstitutional order" on Christian minority not to ever bury their deaths in the village.

It says "No village diktat can go beyond the framework of the Indian Constitution and basic human rights."

Christian minorities at Huikap village in Thoubal district of Manipur were served "un-constitutional" order by villagers, who warned the tiny Christian population in the village to face dare consequence if break the order, said Rev N Debendra Singh, state vice president, AICC Wednesday.

Hueiyen News Service (HNS) from the state reported that the order of the villagers was related to the death of a two year-old boy who drowned in a village pond and the family buried the body on 19 July in a place donated for Christian cemetery by a family from a neighbouring Christian village.

After the burial of the body, father of the child and the pastor of the church were summoned by the villagers and forced them to sign a paper that by 10 am next day, the dead body must be exhumed from the place.

After earnest request by both the father of the child and the pastor, the villagers agreed that the dead body not be exhumed from the grave but gave the Christian community of the village a stern order.

The minority Christians are harassed by the village authority by calling them every night since the incident occurred, the statement alleged.

The villagers' order states that no dead body of a Christian will be allowed to either carried away from the village or buried in the village, the AICC statement revealed.

With regard to the incident, HNS said the regional secretary of AICC has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur requesting him to look into the "unconstitutional" diktat of the villagers of Huikap village and also ensure safety to the Christian community of the village, the statement said.

"No village diktat can go beyond the framework of the Indian Constitution and basic human rights. The diktat of Huikap village leaders to the Christian minority is unconstitutional and a violation of the fundamental rights," says Madhu Chandra, New Delhi-based human rights activist and the spokesperson of the North East Support Centre & Helpline, he was quoted by SAR News as saying

Chandra, who is also regional secretary of AICC was quoted by SAR News as saying, "The guilty must face legal consequences for the illegal order."

Manipur is one of the small states in Northeastern part of India where Tribal Christians formed majority in the hill districts accounting for about 35 percent of the 2.3 million state population; Muslims constitute about 8 percent and majority of people in the plain follows a form of Hindu religion.

Manipur from long has witnessed raging separatist insurgency, ethnic conflicts and active militant groups jeopardizing communal harmony at times.