By Gudrun Schultz
BHOPAL, India, June 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –A group of Hindu activists raped two Christian women in a remote village in Madhya Pradesh as punishment for converting to Christianity, the Indian Catholic News reported yesterday.
“We have received the reports that two tribal Christian women have been raped by some Bajrang Dal activists,” Indira Iyengar, a member of the Madhya Pradesh State Minority Commission told reporters on Monday. “This heinous crime has been inflicted on these poor women as punishment for changing their religion from Hinduism to Christianity.”
“This is cruel and makes no sense. This is an encroachment on one’s fundamental right. It is also a punishable act. But nobody here listens to us, neither the police nor the collector. They all are least bothered.”
The victims of the attack have complained that they are not receiving justice from the police and administration. Rekha Bai, one of the rape victims, told reporters at the news conference, “Police say that our complaint is fake. They don’t listen to us. We have nowhere to go.”
Ms. Iyengar confirmed Rekha Bai’s complaint, saying the police took the women away, beat and jailed them, and filed an information report against them. The women claim that the attack took place on May 28.
“We want the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister to know all this is happening here. We want this inequality to be stopped. We just want our safety,” Iyengar said.
Under the tribal system operating in isolated districts of India and Pakistan, village leaders sometimes order gang rapes against women for various social “transgressions.”
In Pakistan last February three men raped a young woman as punishment after she refused to perform illegal abortions in her rural community, the Telegraph reported at the time.
The Bajrang Dal denied the allegations against them and warned the Minority Commission to drop the issue, saying it is defaming their organization.
“Christian community is changing everyone’s religion here. We will not tolerate this with our religion,” said the group’s leader Devendra Singh Rawat. “Bajrang Dal is exposing the negative aspect of this whole operation. We respect all the women, be they of any religion. They are defaming our organisation which we will not tolerate.”
The Hindu sect claims to respect all religions, but the group’s official website complains of a “hate-campaign” by opponents to the Hindu religion, maligning the image of the organization. The website celebrates the ongoing militant training of Bajrang Dal activists, “trained to challenge the anti-Hindu forces.” One participant said the training had taught him “how to beat those who do not respect Hinduism.”
The Madhya Pradesh State Minority Commission has said it intends to pursue justice for the women and will take the case to the higher authorities.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Pakistani Nurse Raped for Refusing to Perform Abortions
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06022705.html
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