MP cites security for Christian profiling

In March this year,the police headquarters had ordered a survey to find out the total strength of Christians.

The alleged profiling of Christians in Madhya Pradesh was actually an exercise that stemmed from the communitys own sense of insecurity,the police have now reasoned.

In March this year,the police headquarters had ordered a survey to find out the total strength of Christians,their involvement in criminal activities,the political patronage they enjoy,their sources of funding,their institutions,among other things. To prevent the outraged community from going ahead with its demand for a probe into the matter by a Central agency,the state government,after immediately withdrawing the circular,had ordered its own investigation into the issuance of the March 22 circular that was sent to police stations. The probe has not found anyone guilty. It only says that the in-charge of branch concerned which issued the circular has been warned not to do so in future without taking senior officers into confidence.

Archbishop of Bhopal Leo Cornelio and spokesman of Catholic Church Fr Anand Muttungal said the probe has failed to convince them. We are not satisfied with the explanation. Nobody has been punished, Muttungal told The Indian Express.

In a confidential letter to the community,the police justified the exercise saying that the community was feeling insecure and the authorities wanted to include it in a scheme operated at district-level to prevent communal riots. The letter reminded the community that it had opposed the Maa Narmada Samajik Kumbha,organised in Mandla in February this year saying that the event was being held to scare the minority community and to re-convert them into Hinduism. Incidentally,the three-day event was organised by the RSS and was backed by the state government. The letter said the police had received information that some elements were threatening Christians and collecting money chanda from them. The Union Home Ministry had ordered the state government to provide protection to the minority community. The letter mentioned that the authorities were in constant touch with prominent people of the community and as a result no untoward incident took place during and after the event.

The letter quoted a 1966 circular of the Union government which asks states to periodically collect information about foreign funds received by Christian institutions,conversion and reconversion activities.

Justifying the survey,the letter said the idea was to collect information about institutions and names of important persons who could be contacted in case of emergency. Due to certain misunderstanding the communitys feelings were violated in only two places after which the exercise was completely stopped, said the letter signed by IG intelligence and denied that there was any profiling of the community.