Christian body oppose Swamy's effort to 'sabotage' anti-violence bill

The All India Christian Council (aicc) on Monday denounced Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy's effort to "target minorities" and to "sabotage the Communal Violence Prevention Bill".

Stating that it took strong exception to Swamy's slander campaign against the Christian and Muslim communities in general, aicc reiterated its call for strong laws to curb communalism which it said was as evil as corruption.

Swamy last week placed a complaint with the Delhi police against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and members of the National Advisory Council (NAC) that drafted the communal violence bill.

In his complaint, Swamy alleged that the draft bill was "mischievous in content of targeting the Hindu community" and incited crimes with impunity.

It may be recalled that Maharashtra state Minorities Commission vice-chairman Abraham Mathai had filed a formal complaint demanding legal action against Swamy for spreading hate and violating the Constitution when he wrote an article in a Mumbai newspaper advocating that Muslims should not be given voting rights.

Dr John Dayal, secretary general of the aicc, in a statement at a press conference in Mysore, Karnataka said Swamy was now trying to wriggle out by launching a vicious attack on NAC headed by Sonia Gandhi which had drafted a Bill which could effectively prevent hate campaigns, the targetting of minorities and violence against the marginalised.

Swamy had also attacked the Christian Council which is supporting legislation to prevent violence against minorities.

"This is the result of a guilty conscious because Swamy knows the forces responsible for communalism in India. It may be recalled that the then Minister of State for Home affairs Ajay Maken had stated in Parliament that there were over 6,000 incidents of communal violence, or riots, in India in the last decade," said Dayal.

The Council has cited how the violence against Sikhs in 1984, against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 and against Christians in Kandhamal in Orissa in 2007 and 2008 had led to untold misery.

In all cases, the Council said state authorities had been silent spectators or had deliberately allowed the violence to spread. "Mangalore had also seen great havoc against the Christian community in 2008. In Orissa, the violence led to the displacement of more than 56,000 people, the burning down of almost 6,000 houses and 300 churches."

The Council has said the proposed Bill must check communalism at all stages, from the hate campaigns, conspiracies and actual killings, and identify the guilty elements, including political forces. The Bill must also ensure that officers guilty of inaction were punished for dereliction of duty.