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Recognize religious violence as terrorism, India's bishops urge government (Subscribe to RSS Feed)

New Delhi, Dec. 17, 2008 (CWNews.com) -

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has urged the government to widen the definition of terrorism in the new anti-terror law introduced in the parliament on December 16 in the wake of the recent terror strikes in Mumbai.

Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes, CBCI secretary general, in his appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, pointed out that the government has "diluted" a definition of terrorism that was more "comprehensive" in the earlier National Security Guard Act of 1986. He said that the instigation of religious violence should be recognized as a kind of terrorism.

"Keeping in mind communal violence that take place (in Orissa) through inflammatory speeches and hate campaign towards religious minorities by anti-social elements, it is imperative that the definition of a terrorist is made more comprehensive as defined (in the earlier Act)," argued the Church appeal.

The memorandum further asked the government to consider "communal violence in Orissa, Karnataka, Gujarat and other parts of the country that has drawn the attention of the international community" while formulating the new anti-terror law.

Following the murder of Hindu nationalist leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, who was shot dead by Maoist rebels on August 23 in Orissa, Hindu groups have unleashed terror on the Christian minority. The violence has left over 100 Christians dead and rendered tens of thousands homeless, with the state government-- controlled by Hindu nationalists-- doing little to stop the orchestrated violence.