1. March 5, 1998, Vadodara: A group of Pentecostal Christians were holding a prayer and healing service. Fundamentalists of the VHP brought in two blind persons to the service, demanded that their sight be restored and then began destroying the dais, smashing microphones and amplifiers and assaulting the participants. While the hooligans went scot–free, the police beat up and arrested members of the Christian community.

2. April 15, 1998, Naroda (near Ahmedabad): A Catholic church that was being built in Naroda, near Ahmedabad, was demolished by a violent mob of BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal ‘kar sevaks’ under police protection. Sacred statues were desecrated and the place was looted and vandalised. The culprits claim that the structure was being built illegally. However, the priest staying there earlier had a room for which all panchayat taxes had been paid and a certificate had been obtained to secure electrical connections.

3. Naroda: St. Mary’s School, run by the Jacobites, was vandalised on the pretext that Sanskrit was not taught there. Among other religious articles, a statue of the Virgin Mary was badly damaged.

4. July 8, 1998, Kapadwanj, Nadiad district (old Kheda district): The body of Samuel Christian, a Methodist Christian, was exhumed, allegedly by VHP activists, from the cemetery at Kapadwanj and dumped near the Methodist church. (See box on Pg.14).

5. July 20, 1998, Rajkot: Copies of the Holy Bible (New Testament) were burnt by alleged VHP and Bajrang Dal activists at the I.P. Mission School, Rajkot. The miscreants claimed that the school authorities, in connivance with the Gideon Society, were trying to forcibly convert the children into Christianity because on the last page of the New Testament, readers were expected to sign a note stating that they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

6. July 16, 1998, Zankhvav village, Mangrol taluka, Surat district: The Shantiniketan High School, run by the Jesuit priests of the Loyola Education Trust, was broken into and stoned. A tractor was driven into the premises and the playground for children was ploughed. Damage to the tune of Rs.15,000 was caused. The land in question was the property of the late Shantilal Shah who had handed it over to the Loyola Education Trust to build a school in 1984. The Fathers have been running the school which caters to the tribal students of neighbouring villages and the residents of Zankhvav town. Out of the 720 students enrolled, 152 are Christians and the rest belong to other religions.

The Gujarat Samachar and the Sandesh dailies had been systematically printing inflammatory and vicious articles in Gujarati, claiming that the priests were forcibly converting tribals to Christianity and that only Christian children were being admitted into the school. Two truck—loads of hooligans from the nearby Wadi village were let loose in Zankhvav market the next day. In the ensuing violence, the parents of three students were arrested. Rather than take punitive measures against the evil—doers, the Gujarat state government (BJP), seems to be a tacit endorser of the destructive activities.

7. July 18, 1998, Bhapkal village, Dangs district: A Christian prayer hall was burnt, allegedly by activists of the "Hindu Jagaran Manch".

8. June 21, 1988, Singana village, Dangs district: Prayer hall burnt.

9. June 26, Lahan Kadmad village, Dangs district: Prayer hall burnt

10. July 24, 1998, Surat district: In Isar, a small village 10 kms. from Zankhvav where some Catholic priests are working, a group of RSS and Bajrang Dal activists attacked the Christians and terrorised them. They added insult to injury by filing a case against the Christians which resulted in the arrest of 14 Christians.

11. May 18, 1998, Zankhvav village, Surat district: Miscreants attacked and stoned the jeep of a Catholic priest breaking the wind—shield and injuring one of the occupants of the jeep.

12. June 17, 1998, Surat: According to the principal of St. Xaviers’ School, the city’s deputy collector under orders from the collector, Surat, came with a police team to search and confiscate the records of admissions and students who had applied for admission to the school. Another school, Lourdes Convent, was also humiliated with a similar search–and–confiscate order. The principal complained that the district education officer, too, was constantly harassing with threats of derecognition and cutting of grants. The principal alleged that the collector’s office was involved in the attempt to implicate the two schools.

13. June 1998: The sangh brigade raises a hue and cry over the marriage of a Jain girl and a Muslim boy from Bardoli who fell in love with each other. (See main cover story, Pg.8).

14. June 25, 1998, Randhikpur village, Panchmahal District: Two Hindu girls eloped with two Muslim boys. The subsequent acts of vandalism and violence by Hindu fanatics, such as burning the houses owned by Muslims, caused the exodus of Muslim families from the village for fear of their lives.

15. March 2, 1998, Padra, Baroda district: A group of Christians distributing handbills concerning an on–coming Christian meeting scheduled to be held at the Baroda polo grounds from March 4–7, 1998 was severely beaten. Youth belonging to the VHP, Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini came out in large numbers and severely beat up the group, which included a few foreigners. A woman who was pregnant was kicked with boots, another woman’s frock was torn. They were not only severely beaten but also forced to chant the names of Hindu gods. Later the police arrived on the scene, took the victims to the Padra police station and detained them there for a long time.

16. March 4, 1998, Baroda: Attack at the Baroda polo ground on Christians peacefully assembled there. Due permission had been taken from the authorities for the Jesus Mahotsav. Necessary arrangements for this meeting were made, including the erection of a dais for the speakers and another pulpit for the singing team. A group of about 300 young volunteers, allegedly of the VHP–Bajrang Dal, descended on the stage at the polo ground, where a large audience was patiently waiting for the programme. The group ran through the audience blowing whistles and bursting firecrackers, thereby creating great commotion and panic among the entire gathering. They also mercilessly beat up members of the audience. Earlier miscreants had tried to set the stage on fire even as it was being erected. Some people in the audience received severe injuries, including fractured hands and head injuries. A Maruti 800 car (No. GJ–6–AA 308) belonging to one of the participants was burnt. The trouble–makers also destroyed musical instruments, leading to an estimated loss of around Rs 2 lakh. Buses engaged for transporting the participants were prevented from taking off. The stranded participants forced to opt for public transport at the bus stands were singled out and mercilessly beaten.

17. April 11, 1998, Palanpur: Attack on a Christian gathering during the Passion Week on April 11, 1998. The united meeting of Christian communities of Palanpur at the Municipal hall during the Passion Week (Crucifixion of Jesus Christ) on April 10,11 & 12 was attacked on April 11 in the afternoon around 4 p.m. when some 30–35 members, allegedly of the VHP–Bajrang Dal, forcibly entered the Municipal Hall from behind by climbing the compound wall. They were armed with hockey sticks, cricket bats, iron rods, etc. They destroyed the food being prepared for about 250 guests, damaged vessels, entered the next room where some women and children were resting, and beat them. They damaged a Tata bus of the Mission which was parked on the ground near the hall. The damage was estimated at Rs 35,000.

18. April 16, 1998, Naroda (Ahmedabad): A church under construction was razed to the ground by the gram panchayat. The St. Antony’s Church, prayer hall, community hall and medical centre which were under different stages of construction, near the Murlidhar society in Naroda (Ahmedabad suburb) were destroyed by a large and armed gathering. There are many religious and other structures which are illegally constructed, in the Naroda gram panchayat area, AUDA area and even in the capital city of Gandhinagar. But only the Christian buildings were targeted.

19. November 1997, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad: A Christian convention at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium was disturbed in November 1997 when during the evening session, alleged VHP volunteers came up to the stage and snatched the mike while the preacher was singing devotional songs. They shouted Hindu slogans through the mike. Cables were cut and a Matador van was damaged.

20. December 25, 1997, Pipalwada, Vyara taluka, Surat district: A group of around 2,000 Hindu fundamentalists came to demolish churches and to disrupt the Christmas celebrations, organised by the local churches.

21. Dharampur, South Gujarat: Continuing harassment and violence against Christians. Representations were made to the police and the government but almost no action has been taken so far. Churches were burnt and destroyed especially in the villages of Dharampur taluka. Christians there continue to live under a constant shadow of fear.

Specific complaints by Adivasi Christians in Dangs district of administrative complicity in communal violence include the following cases:

22. Jamalpadam village: VHP activists allegedly beat up Adivasi Christians of the village.

23. February 20, 1998, Divan Tembrum village: The head of the village and the police Patel, Ramesh Avasu and Suresh Mahru, rushed to the prayer hall while prayers were taking place at 8 p.m. The Christians were beaten up with sticks. A complaint was made to the police but no action has been taken.

24. November 13, 1997, Umerpada village: 24 Christians were harassed by the police inspector G. M. Damor of Dangs police station on a false complaint made by a local VHP activist, Kalu Chhibadia of Ghadavi village.

25. November 25, 1997, Kudkas village: Evangelist Premchand was going home on a cycle at 11 p.m. after finishing a prayer meeting when he was beaten by the police Patel.

26. December 26 1997, Dagadpada village: A day after Christmas, adivasis celebrating the festival were stoned and harassed the entire night by police officer Damor and others and were put in jail for no reason at the height of their festival celebrations.

27. Pipalyamal village: In complicity between police officer Damor and local VHP activist Gamaj Gavli, Christians have been routinely harassed, and threatened.

28. Jarsol Village: The Gujarat Samachar, against which the Christians have made several complaints, reported falsely that adivasi Christians of the village had slaughtered and eaten a cow. False complaints were filed by the police officer, G. M. Damor, and many Christians were implicated and locked up.

29. July 12, 1998, Dhavalidod village: While Christians had gathered for Sunday prayers, village Patel, Baburao Gavit, allegedly rushed in brandishing a bottle and threatened the Christians. The same day the church lock was broken and the Cross removed from the prayer hall.

30. July 18, 1998, Bhapkal village: A prayer hall was burnt and Christians were harassed, allegedly by one Bansha Bapu Pawar of the same village.

31. July 23, 1998, Borkhal village: Revenue talathi (official), Kalu Mana Gaikwad, allegedly connived with local Hindu activists and late at night attacked and injured adivasis who were at prayer in the prayer hall. The adivasis were beaten up and later false cases filed against them.

32. July 27, 1998, Darapada village: Christian believer Ulus Ramji Pawar was attacked and killed, allegedly by one Dinesh Nana Bhoye of Darpada and others. A false complaint was lodged against the murdered man.

33. The following prayer halls were attacked, burnt or damaged: Bhapkal, Don (Demolished by one Ramesh Balya), Singana (At 1 a.m. on June 21, 1998), Lahan Kadmal (on June 26, 1998 at 8.30 p.m.), Umarpada (on June 29, 1998, attacked but assailants failed to set it on fire), Dhavlidod (Broken into and robbed on July 12, 1998) and Borkahal (Attempted arson). n