The saffron terror against the Indian Christian community is skyrocketing by leaps and bounds. The very recent act of putting behind bars two innocent nuns in Durg in Chhattisgarh state is not just disturbing, but has received widespread condemnation.

The saffron terrorist squad waiting at every kerb and bend is out to victimise Christians of all sections. If you recruit tribals to work in your hospital or charitable institutions, you are condemned as human traffickers. False FIRs are filed against them. And, the Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states make condemnable statements supporting the atrocity: "This appears to be a case of human trafficking under the guise of conversion by luring." (Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai)
He sees even white as saffron.

A senior lawyer from Raipur has come up heavily against the CM's biased and obnoxious statement: "What the Chief Minister has said is nothing short of a public indictment. He is quoting the FIR as fact and presenting an ongoing investigation as a closed case."

The shameful ill-treatment meted out to the two sisters and the accompanying tribal girls is nothing short of a terrorist threat. The sisters had train tickets for them and the girls. But mysteriously, a saffron crowd gathered, raising slogans accusing the sisters of human trafficking or taking the girls for religious conversion. It did not matter that the girls had written permission from their parents to go with the sisters for nursing training and employment. Legal documents are no proof for terrorists.

Central India, particularly Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, ruled by the saffron brigade, has become the epicentre of murderous attacks on Christians, priests, pastors, nuns, and believers. Christian institutions, including hospitals, schools and orphanages, are ransacked, and worship places are destroyed. The cross, the most revered symbol of the Christian religion, is stoned and pulled down publicly.

Every day we hear that Christian tribals are attacked, evicted and ostracised from their villages and are thrown out onto the street. Their cries are not heard. These instances are written off as either law and order problems or intra-community disputes. The law-enforcing agencies either turn a blind eye or book the victims as accused in connivance with the perpetrators.

The problem is that the Christian community is a peace-loving one. This very fact is taken advantage of by the saffron terrorists. If ever the victims retaliate and get united against the barbaric attacks, there will be civil war. Christians by no means will want to create such a fiasco. There will be national and international repercussions. Already, India stands condemned globally for the ever-increasing number of atrocities against minorities.

Another factor that emboldens the terrorists is the silence of the Christian leaders, both lay and the hierarchy. Except for whimpers and murmurs, by and large, the Bishops and the religious heads are strategically inactive.

Even when they invited Prime Minister Modi for the Christmas celebrations, there were no strong messages sent to the PM. The CBCI may take exception to such reports. But it is not just the Christmas celebration. The daily atrocities meted out to the Christian community need to be highlighted, and demands be made so that the government will not only condemn them but take punitive action. Such a scenario can only be dreamt of.

We often remain satisfied with politically safe statements, soft diplomatic moves and press statements. What has come of the recent visit of the Papal representative and his meeting with the State heads? Was it only a diplomatic window dressing operation? Did it give a strong message to the central government to gear up to uphold the secular nature of the Constitution?

Imagine a people's elected representative, BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar, publicly announcing rewards for attacking priests: "Whoever beats the first priest will get a prize of rupees five lakhs, whoever beats the second will get four lakhs and the third will get three lakhs." And he goes scot free, thanks to his patrons.

Is this secular India? Well, the question is irrelevant for the Sanghis. They want to remove the word "secular" from the Constitution. Their agenda is to convert India into a majoritarian Hindu religious state. That will mean the elimination of all minorities. That was what Hitler did to the six million Jews. Hitler's swastika symbol and ideology are part and parcel of the RSS.

It is pertinent to quote here the points raised by a Christian priest who has seen face to face abominable atrocities against Christians in central Indian states. He writes: "Some MPs have raised their voice in solidarity with the Christian community. But where are our Bishops? Their only priority seems to be protecting their money-making educational and health institutions. In the peak of the unjust, illegal arrests, evictions of Christians from their villages and large-scale persecutions, why don't the Bishops take courage to close down the schools and colleges till the unjustly arrested Christians are released from every jail?

Meanwhile, the entire Christian community need to stand unitedly and do the following:
1.    Demand the immediate arrest of Jyoti Sharma and other Bajrang Dal goons who made false allegations of forced conversion on the nuns in Durg.
2.    Demand punitive action against the police officers who wrote false FIRs.
3.    Demand the cancellation of the license of all the media houses that spread false narratives against the Christian community.
4.    Demand scrapping of the draconian anti-conversion law in every state.
5.    Demand for full-fledged Minority commissions in the Central and state governments at all levels, ensuring the presence and active participation of vibrant Christian leaders in it.
6.    Empower the laity to carry out socio-political leadership of the Christian community.

Apt words! Corrective measures and timely action are proposed. Will our Christian leadership rise to the wake-up call?