[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 30 (Thursday, March 16, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              NUNS ATTACKED IN INDIA, SAVED BY SIKH FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2000

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, the wave of violence against Christians by 
Hindu fundamentalists continues. Since Christmas 1998, churches have 
been burned, priests have been murdered, nuns have been raped, and 
Christian schools and prayer halls have been destroyed. The government 
of Orissa now requires anyone who wishes to change religions to get a 
permit from the government. Sikhs and Muslims have previously been 
subjected to similar tyranny.
  These attacks have been carried out by Hindu fundamentalists who 
belong to a branch of the RSS, an openly Fascist umbrella organization 
that includes the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party under its umbrella.
  In the most recent incident, a gang of RSS militants attacked the 
Convent of Our Lady of Grace in Panipat. Previously, a priest from the 
same complex had been murdered. This is the fourth attack on the church 
in Panipat, according to The Deccan Herald.
  Fortunately, when the militant Hindus attacked the convent, the nuns 
screamed and the alarm went off, attracting the attention of the Sikh 
family next door. They got their gun and came over to the complex, 
where the RSS mob attacked the rescuers using steel rods and guns. One 
of the attackers was captured.
  Unfortunately, this incident shows us again that there is no 
religious freedom in India. Hindu nationalist mobs associated with the 
ruling party have free rein to commit these acts of violence against 
the religious minorities and they rarely get any punishment from the 
government. Instead, the government uses these incidents to try to set 
one religious group against the other so that they can continue their 
brutal, intolerant, tyrannical rule. In the murder of missionary Graham 
Staines, which was carried out by Hindu militants chanting ``Victory to 
Hannuman,'' a Hindu god, the government arrested a man who uses the 
alias Dara Singh in order to blame the Sikhs.
  This kind of intolerance is unacceptable. As the lone superpower and 
the beacon of freedom in the world, the United States must act to bring 
freedom to all the people of South Asia. While President Clinton visits 
India, it is crucial that he bring up the issues of political 
prisoners, religious freedom, and self-determination.
  There are also things we can do here in Congress. We should stop all 
American aid to India until these basic human rights are respected and 
we should declare our support for an internationally-supervised 
plebiscite on independence for Punjab, Khalistan, for Kashmir, for 
Nagaland, and for the other nations seeking to free themselves from 
India's brutal, corrupt rule. We must be prepared to take responsible 
measures to extend freedom to all the people of the world.

               [From the Deccan Chronicle, Mar. 14, 2000]

               Sikh Family Saves Nuns From Bawaria Attack

       New Delhi: A Sikh family saved the lives of five nuns who 
     were attacked by a group of over ten armed men in the wee 
     hours of the morning on 11 March, in Panipat. Putting their 
     own safety at risk the male members of the family attacked 
     the intruders armed with guns and steel rods who had entered 
     the church where the Franciscan nuns were staying.
       Answering to the alarm call of the nuns, the Sikh men 
     immediately came to their rescue. The incident happened in 
     Panipat in the convent of Our Lady of Grace. The Sikh family 
     who have been staying in the Joti Nagar area next to the 
     convent for over a decade, hearing the cries of the nuns and 
     the alarm calls of the chowkidar, rushed to their help.
       Armed with their licensed country made gun attacked the 
     men. In the ensuing chaos the assailants attacked the Sikhs 
     with steel rods and fired two rounds of gun shots. One of the 
     Sikhs managed to nab one of the men, who in his desperation 
     to escape bit him. Meanwhile the other gang members started 
     firing from behind the church forcing the Sikhs to shoot back 
     and attack them.
       The nabbed man has been identified as Kala and belongs to 
     the Bawaria caste. The gang is believed to be involved in the 
     earlier attacks on the church. This is the fourth such attack 
     in the past three months on the church in the Sonepath-
     Panipat Samalkha region.
       The superior of the convent, Sr Vandana said, ``We are very 
     grateful to them for helping us, even though they could have 
     been killed in the process. We will always remember them in 
     our prayers.''
       Earlier a priest living in the same compound was attacked 
     by unknown men a few weeks ago. As a result, two police 
     guards were posted outside the church compound which houses a 
     church, and quarters for the priest and nuns.
       The police removed the guards from duty and within two days 
     of this the church was attacked again. Recalling the incident 
     Sr Vandana said, ``Though convent houses six nuns, one of 
     them was not present at the time of the incident. The men 
     scaled the compound wall, broke opened the main wooden 
     entrance of the convent and then tried to break in the door 
     of the dormitories where the five nuns were sleeping. The 
     shocked and panic struck nun rushed into the smaller rooms 
     and bathroom, where they locked themselves. The men later 
     broke open an almirah.'' The Sonepat-Panipat Samalkha region 
     had reported spate of violence which included attack on a 
     priest who narrowly escaped and threatened several nuns. The 
     area also witnessed four cases of dacoity.
       Earlier two cases of dacoity had taken place in Samalkha 
     and Panipat within three days of each other. In Samalkha in 
     the early hours of March 9, 2000, gang of ten men raided and 
     looted the Ish Mata Church and made off with Rs 60,000 kept 
     for refurbishing the church. Fr Azeem Raj of the church 
     escaped by locking himself in the bathroom. On 1 January Fr 
     Vikas of Panipat Church was serious injured and his skull and 
     limbs fractured when he was attacked by a gang of armed men. 
     This incident took place in the same compound where the nuns 
     were attacked.
       The district collector of the Panipat, Sandeep Garag said, 
     thanked the Sikhs for the help and has advised that the 
     guards be posted back to the church and more arms be 
     sanctioned.

     

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