Bhopal showed the Way

The six-member committee, headed by retired Nagpur High Court Chief Justice M Bhawani Shankar Niyogi, was set up in 1954 through a gazette notification stating: ‘‘Whereas representations have been made… that Christian missionaries either forcibly through fraud or temptation… convert illiterate and other backward groups, thereby offending the feelings of non-Christians… and whereas the Missionaries have further alleged that they are being harassed by non-Christian people and local officials… the the State government consider it desirable in the public interest to have a thorough inquiry made’’.

The committee — set up despite vehement church opposition — interviewed 11,360 people in tribal Chhotanagpur ‘‘… to ascertain the facts from the people directly’’. On this basis, it accepted as conclusions a series of allegations that, at the least, should have required investigation, and dismissed, again without scrutiny, a statement about charges by Christians. Consider some of the ‘conclusion of facts’ (as the report terms them):

Since the Constitution of India came into force there has been an appreciable increase in the American personnel of the Missionary organisations operating in India….

Missions are in some places used to serve extra-religious ends. In spite of assurances given by foreign and national Missionaries to authorities, instances of indirect political activities were brought to the notice of the Committee.

As conversion muddles the convert’s sense of unity and solidarity with his society, there is a danger of his loyalty to his country and State being undermined.

A vile propaganda against the religion of the majority community is being systematically and deliberately carried on…

Evangelisation in India appears to be a part of the uniform world policy to revive Christendom for re-establishing Western supremacy and is not prompted by spiritual motives…

Allegations of discrimination against Christians and harassment of them by Government officials have not been established…

On this basis, the committee chose to make a series of recommendations. One was: ‘‘The best course for the Indian Churches to follow is to establish a United Independent Christian Church in India without being dependent on foreign support.’’

Another led to the Bills in Orissa and MP, though the latter had to wait for a decade to pass it. The government in question (in 1968) comprised a breakaway group from the Congress headed by Govind Narain Singh, which was, for the first time, dependant on support from the Jan Sangh (V K Saklecha as Deputy CM).

The operative part of the Act reads: ‘‘No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any person from one religious faith to another by use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means nor shall any person abet any such conversion.’’

A rider says: ‘‘Whoever converts any person from one religious faith to another either by performing himself the ceremony necessary for such conversion as a religious priest or by taking part directly or indirectly in such ceremony shall… send an intimation to the DM.’’The judgment convicting Sister Ekka makes it clear that there was no question of allurement or fraudulent means, she simply failed to report the conversions to the government.