The All Indian Christian Council (AICC), a partner of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), will meet with the Indian Home Minister to inform him of the constant persecution that religious minority communities are facing from Hindu extremist groups, visible in the lead up to the Hindu festival in Gujarat.

TOP|On January 17, the AICC delegation met with Home Minister Shivraj Patil, backed by the All India Confederation of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Organisations and other groups, to reveal their fears regarding the forthcoming Shabri Kumbh Mela in the Dangs, a remote district in Gujarat, western India on February 11 to 13.

The Hindu nationalist organisers of the Shabri Kumbh Mela event commemorate the mythological story of Shabri and Ram in which the latter kills the demon Ravana, and have called for the same treatment for Christians, describing it as a dangerous foreign faith.

Due to past experiences of severe anti-Christian violence in the district, the AICC fears the festival will have a significant environmental impact on the area, following provocation from Hindu extremist groups. In 1998, 36 rural churches were attacked over the Christmas period in the district.

The delegation requested that the Government either intervenes to prevent the festival from taking place, or to take measures to prevent a serious outbreak of religious violence.

|QUOTE|Festival organisers have been using the slogan "Hindu Jago, Christi Bhagao" ("Arise Hindus, throw out the Christians") to stir up religious tensions and to give the Dangs people a Hindu sense of identity.

Dr Joseph D'Souza, President of the AICC, said: "We can only imagine the kind of violence and communalism that will emanate if this event is allowed to happen.

“If the event is allowed, the AICC requests that the Government provides adequate supervision to maintain law and order and save innocent lives.”

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW said, “We fully support the AICC in its concerns as expressed to the Indian government. This festival has the potential for instigating large-scale violence and widespread communal tension and we would urge the Indian Government to do all within its power to ensure the safety of religious minority groups in the area.”