AHMEDABAD, JAN 1: They were sent by the Centre to make an assessment of the situation in Gujarat, created by the attacks on Christians and their institutions in the Dangs. But Special Home Secretary, M B Kaushal, and Joint Secretary, Sandeep Bagchi, neither visited the Dangs nor met the affected people.They arrived here on Tuesday evening, visited Gandhinagar, met Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, and civil and police officers, before flying back to New Delhi on Wednesday evening. All others who tried to meet them, or send some material, were rebuffed, including leader of Opposition, Amarsinh Chaudhary, who had sent a word through protocol officers.``How could they make a fair assessment without meeting us?'' asked Father Cedric Prakash, co-ordinator of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights (Gujarat). The forum leaders had contacted Kaushal on the telephone, and he had agreed to meet ``a few'' of them. Yet, the meeting never took place. VHP leaders also wanted to meet Kaushal, but couldnot.Incidentally, the state government had sent a report on the incidents to the Union Home Ministry on Monday evening. Naturally, therefore, the officers' action of meeting only government functionaries is being questioned. Leader of Opposition, Amarsinh Chaudhary, alleged that the State government had advised them not to meet or communicate with anyone. Chaudhary, who claims he had cautioned the Chief Minister about the explosive situation in the Dangs one week in advance, said he wanted to send a note to Kaushal, drawing his attention to certain points, but could neither locate him, nor speak to him on the telephone. After a great deal of effort, Chaudhary's personal assistant caught Kaushal ``while he was boarding the aircraft''.But leaders of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights (Gujarat) were not so lucky, although they had contacted Kaushal on the telephone early on Wednesday morning, and he had agreed to meet them at 2 p.m. A little before the appointed time, they got a telephone callthat Kaushal could not meet them as he was busy in meetings. Father Prakash and Bishop S Fernandes of Ahmedabad then went to the Circuit House, where the two officers were staying, and found Bagchi there. But he refused to accept a dossier, containing details of the incidents, saying he was not the team leader. The two then went to the airport, but could not meet Kaushal there also, as his car went straight to the aircraft.They are now sending the dossier to the Prime Minister, with an appeal to protect the community's basic human rights. They have told the Prime Minister that ``the community is terrorised, while the State government is not only not doing sufficient, but also playing down the gravity of the situation,'' Father Prakash said.Chaudhary also shot off a letter to the prime minister, asking him to ignore the officers' assessment, as it was bound to be one-sided and ``removed from the reality''. He requested the Prime Minister to send a team of the Minorities Commission to the State, anddismiss the government, as it had lost the capacity to protect the minorities from organised attacks.Former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Party leader, Shankersinh Vaghela, described the officers' visit as ``an eyewash''. The Centre sent the officers just to create an impression that it was actually doing something, Vaghela said, adding, ``Nothing more could be expected when the Union Home Minister is a known Sangh Parivar hardliner.''Father Prakash said that the officers' action was all the more regrettable because even the latest statement of the chief minister was far from reassuring. While saying that violence would not be tolerated, the chief minister had raised the bogey of ``forcible conversions'', Father Prakash said, adding, ``If there are forcible conversions, the law is there to take care of it''.He also objected to government statements that it was prayer halls, not churches, which were burnt at certain places.
