’State has made it difficult for us to avail of OBC certificates’

East Indians — the original inhabitants of Mumbai — from Gorai,Kandivali,Malad and Uttan also complained of builders and developers threatening them to occupy their land.

“Many developers have been eyeing gaothans as these are prime properties. Police and local politicians support the builders,” said Gordon D’Souza,president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha.

Munaf Hakim,chairperson of the commission,said tribal districts bordering Gujarat are under constant threat of attack by fundamentalist groups. Hakim,citing recent cases of attacks on tribals in Thane district,said there were enough examples to inger that tribals in the state were being attacked for adopting Christianity. Several cases have been registered in districts like Thane,Nashik,Jalgaon and Nandurbar — all bordering Gujarat,he said.

“When these victims approach police,they are further victimised. While the perpetrators are let off ,cases are registered against the tribals,” Hakim said.

As many as 200 representatives of the Christian community attended the hearing. Lack of burial grounds was one of the serious issues raised at the meeting.

“While land was allocated for community burial in Kandivali,the civic authorities (BMC) never made it available,” said Bishop Agnelo Gracias,Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay.

Similar testimonies were collected from activists of Aurangabad and Kolhapur. “Though a sizable number of Christians lives in Kolhapur,a very small strip of land has been made available for burial. When the soil is dug up,remains of other bodies can be seen. We demand that the state ensure our loved ones get a dignified end,” said Rajendra Ghule,an activist from Kolhapur. He added that they have written to the collector and other authorities several times,but to little avail.

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