South Asia Citizens Web

PUDR expresses outrage at the gang-rape of a 71 year old nun by a gang of “dacoits” inside a convent in Gangnapur village, Nadia district, West Bengal on 14th March 2015. The men reportedly raided and desecrated the convent before taking away 12 lakhs. Clearly, the motive was not merely to rob and decamp but to punish the school and the community through this horrendous gang-rape. In this connection, PUDR wishes to draw attention to the disturbing trend of attacks on Christians, including their institutions and places of worship, in recent times.

Aggressive mobilisations around proclaimed community interests and assault on democratic rights of citizens is common in the so called mainland India too. This type of politics has specially spread along with the rise of Mr Modi in the national politics. The loudest are the Hindutva organisations that claim to represent the interests of the so called Hindu majority. While many thousands of minority citizens have been displaced and killed in riots, and their places of worship attacked, Hindutva forces have attacked the rights of all citizens to read books they like, see movies they wish to see, spend time with persons they like, eat what they like, and discuss and debate issues related to their lives.

a report in The Hindu : With Maharashtra’s secular fabric ripped by the murders of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Communist leader Govind Pansare, noted activist-writer Dr. Bharat Patankar on Tuesday revealed that he too had received death threats in the form of hate letters.

If the Indian government wanted to become the laughing stock of the world, it couldn’t have done so more instantly and effectively than by banning the BBC documentary India’s Daughter on Delhi’s December 2012 gang-rape. Not only was the film watched by millions the world over; it became a cause celebre for feminists, defenders of free expression and even progressive Hollywood actors.

On the call of Centre for Human Rights Education- Pakistan and other civil society organizations hundreds of men and women got together in front of Lahore’s Press Club. The protestors who were carrying [placards] and banners against the Youhanabad incident chanted slogans against the attack on Christian Community and other incidents of terrorism in the name of religion and sect.