Communal Face of BJP Government exposed
Guwahati, October 17: Majuli, the biggest river island of the world is famous for the base of Satriya Culture spread by the famous Vaisnavaite saint, Srimanta Sankardeva. The basic ideology of Satriya Culture or Vaisnavaite Movement is an ideology of tolerance. History bears out the fact that Assam is a place where communal amity among various groups of people has reigned because of the liberal teachings Srimanta Sankardeva and his disciples.
In recent times, the aggressive, even violence engendered by the ideology of the ‘sangh parivar‘ has affected this tradition of amity and tolerance not only all over the state of Assam but at the core of this Vaisnavaite Culture, at Majuli.
This was manifest on October, 2018 14, two days ago, when a group of about 100 goons proclaiming themselves as Satradhikar, Biswa (Vishwa) Hindu Parishad, Lok Jagaran Manch and Bajrang Dal members attacked on a church in Lower Majuli and torched it, in borad daylight. A serious matter of concern was, that the famous Vaisnavaite Satradhikar Janardan Deva Goswami, was allegedly at the forefront of the mob that torched the Church; it is reported that it was the Satradhikar himself who broke the signboard of the Church that was built in Raidangani Banshichuk Village under Fulani area of Lower Majuli. These acts of vandilism that occurred on Monday last fall under the assembly constituency of Chief Minister of the BJP ruled State of Assam.
How the incident happened
On October 15, 2018 a group of about one hundred miscreants shouting slogans in favour of Satradhikar Janardan Deva Goswami, Lok Jagaran Manch, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal reached Raidangani Banshichuk Village. The village dominated by Mishing Tribal’s have been deprived and neglected by the upper caste Hindus and have accepted Christianity a few years back when they also established that Church. But the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Lok Jagaran Manch and Bajrang Dal members were furious with the growing popularity of Christisnity and they have been threatening the Tribal People of the area who have been accepting Christian religious beliefs. The growing political rise of the BJP in Majuli, has increased the tensions between those practising Christianity and the Vaisnavaite group; the BJP has been seeing and portraying Christianity in an adversorial manner. After the present Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal won from Majuli as a BJP candidate, the attack upon Christians have increased in rapid way. It was as a part of this overall communal polarisation that the attack on the Church occurred. After torching the Church, Janardan Deva Goswami, the Satradhikar of Dakshinpith Satra said, ‘Majuli is a place of Vaisnavaite Culture and there should not be any other religious prayer house in this locality.’ The People accompanied the Satradhikar Janardan Deva Goswami also issued open threats, saying that,’ we will demolish all Churches here in Majuli as Christianity is unsuited to Indian culture.” They also torched the church as the poor people of that village could not put up any resistance.
Police inaction
Just after the group of goons went out of the Raidangani Banshichuk Village, the local Christian population gathered once again and they submitted a FIR outlining the entire attack. This was submitted at the Jengraimukh Police Station under the Majuli District. But even after 48 hours, the Police department has not take any action against the group of miscreants. Parma Pegu, the Secretary of Majuli Christian Forum in his telephonic conversation with SabrangIndia said, ‘India is a secular country and every citizens has a right to choose his religious belief and faith. But the present BJP Government have failed to protect this Constitutional right. If a Chief Minister of a State can’t protect a religious institution from his own Party workers within his own constituency, how will the Constitutional rights of masses be protected?’ A local resident Amulya Pegu said to Sabrang India that, ‘the Missings are not believers of the Hindu Religion. They have every rights to choose their Religion. It is strange that the fundamental rights of the people have been violated hare by the miscreants associated with the powerful in the ruling BJP Government. The Police is also not acting. None have been arrested even after 48 hours of the incident.’