Clandestine Survey Of Christians
And Muslims In Kerala03 July, 2003
The reports about Central government's clandestine survey of
the minorities and their worship houses have come as a
shock.The hughly secretive survey which has been ongoing
for some time and is continuing. The survey is reportedly conducted with the collusion and collaboration of the state chief minister, A. K. Antony who has been playing a soft Hindutwa politics ever since he assumed office.The Home department of the central government has employed the revenue authorities as opposed to the general census which is conducted by the Census department.
The survey is restricted to two communities of Kerala,Christians
and Muslims,their churches,mosques and the related institutions
like schools or orphanages. There are no reports that the
survey extends to the Sikh,Jain,Buddhist,Parsi or Jewish
communties.Strange questions such as 'how many people attend the church'
have been included.There is also a drive to identify the churches
or mosques 'constructed in the 20th century'.The village officers have been directed to make on the spot
visits ,without raising any suspcion,collect and tabulate
the data with all urgency and forward them to the central
government with no loss of time.The survey has been going on for several months.
The survey in the 'Nedunkantom' Taluq of the Idukki District has been over three months back ! This has been admitted by the Taluq officers. The report has been given to the Central government authorities.The officers claimed to the press that the very same personnel
employed for the general census had been engaged for the
purpose of surveying the minorities.They also admitted that
since these personnel carried out their tasks secretively
and without raising any suspicion,the Church and Masjid
authorities had co-operated with them.
The clandestine anti-minority survey has begun in the Palghat
district also. The survey has begun in the Taluqs of Palakkad,
Mannarkad,Chittur,Ottappalam, and Alathur. The directives
in this regard issued by the 'Kerala Directorate of Census'
located at Trivandrum under the sign of Sheila Thomas IAS
has reached the Palakkad Collectorate .In another shocking revelation ,it was clarified that both
the 'Special Branch 'of the police (spy wing) and the
'Intelligence Bureau' has been engaged in the clandestine
survey.The minoriy community leaders have said that they will be
constrained not to cooperate with the project for a variety
of reasons.The have pointed out that the reasons for the
survey remain dubious and highly secretive ;the government
has not cared to explain the reaons why it is conducted in
the first place.
The minority leaders have expressed the deep fear that in the
light of the Gujarat experience,such data can prove fatal.
They apprehend that his data will be misused to oppress
and attack the minorities.They are also fearful that the data
will land in the hands of the fundamentalist-communal-
extremist elements as was the case in Modi's Gujarat where
the majoritatian Hindutva terror outfits of the RSS,Bajrangdal,
VHP and others used the data to pinpoint the minority
shops,houses and individuals in the genocide.
One is left to wonder why there has been a discriminative
survey of some of the minorities in the state.The minority
leaders have questioned the rationale behind this highly
selective sampling and ponder why there is no survey on
the majority community's houses of worship or other
institutions.There are apprehensions that the plot is part
of the larger 'Gujaratisation plan for India or the Modi-fication
of India'.Such clandestine surveys signify the destructive
and un-secular path the national government is treading
right now.
THE CATHOLICS WON'T CO-OPERATE !The Catholic Church has asserted that it will not co-operate with
the survey of the Churches and the allied institutions until the
government gives a proper explanation for the same.Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil,the major arch bishop of the Syro Malabar rite has given specific directive to the Catholic institutions not to
collaborate with this clandestine project.The Cardinal clarified that the Christians as responsible Indian
citizens have always cooperated with every just endeavour
which is in the interest of the nation,however the raison d'etre
for this apparently covert survey is suspicious and unclear.Mar Vithayathil also expressed his apprehension thus..
"In the light of the experiences of the minority communities
in Gujarat,there are apprehensions whether the data will
be used to persecute the minorities or if the data will
end up in the hands of the fundamentalist extremist
groups. "[The data on minorities in Gujarat were used in the organised
and systematic genocide and carnage against the Muslims
by the hindu nationalist BJP,VHP,RSS,Bajrangdal and other
elements of the Sangh Parivar.]-------------------------------------------------------------
"Unjustified Act"- Fr Pattarumatathil
The chancellor of the Varappuzha diocese,Fr Jacob Pattarumatathil,
has said that it is totally unjustified to conduct such surveys on
minorities while AK Antony is in power.He also remarked that
it is a fallacy to go ahead with the survey when all communities
are living in harmony in the state and to divide the people on
communal lines.
------------------------------------------------------------------"Allay the fears of the minorities ' -Fr Kallappara
The official spokesman of the Jacobite Church Fr Varghese
Kallappara had demanded that the central government
must explain the reasons for the conduct of the survey
of the Churches and Mosques and allay the fear in the
minds of the minorities.He also added that suspicions still remain about the survey.
There is no suggestion that the survey extends to the
worship houses of other minorities in Kerala viz the Sikh,
Jain,Buddhist,Parsi or Jewish.Ordinarily it is the Census
department which conducts surveys in India.However
since this survey is conducted by the Central Home
department in association with the Revenue department,
there are doubts whether the goals of this survey are
to take away the rights of the minorities.
-----------------------------------------------------------"Survey results irrelevant " - Fr Chittilappally
Fr Jose Chittilappally,the Vicar General of the Palghat diocese
has branded as 'irrelevant' the outcome of the clandestine
survey carried out by the Central Home Ministry in Kerala.
He said "such surveys only contribute to fuel communal enmity"
and 'this step amounts to adding fuel to fire.'' He also
demanded ..." if there are surveys,then it should be applicable
to all. " , "there are some dark secrets in the avoidance of the
survey of the majority community and isolating the
minorities for the survey'.