Catholic leader wants NIC to push for anti-riot law

He called for fresh investigation and trial of murder cases during the 2008 anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal.

New Delhi:  A catholic leader has asked the National Integration Council (NIC) to act with urgency to bring in a law to prevent communal and targeted violence in the country.

John Dayal, member of the council said “the long-term solution” to end sectarian violence was “to have a comprehensive and effective act against communal and targeted violence.”

Such a law should favor the victim and should generate a national code to standardize the current relief, rehabilitation and reparation policies, he said.

Dayal said this at the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi yesterday conveying the greetings of Christians on behalf of All India Christian Council.

Indicating that in communal violence hundreds of criminals go unpunished he said: “Impunity must end and officials must be held accountable,” he added.

Dayal called for fresh investigation and trial of murder cases during the 2008 anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal.

He also pitched for giving Scheduled Caste rights for Dalit Christians.

A presidential order of 1950 excludes Christians and Muslims from government benefits meant for the social betterment of dalits on the ground that their religions reject casteism.

Dayal brought to the attention of the prime minister the increasing number of persecution of Christians in the rural areas of Karnataka in recent months.

“Karnataka is now reporting anti-Christian acts of violence every third day. In all cases, the police look on passively, or was itself complicit in the violence. Senior officers chose to remain deaf to the warnings of growing communalism and tension, and imminence of violence,” he said.

Dayal said that anti-Christian violence is also visible in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

He suggested that short term response from the government and long term correctives which have still not been put into place after more than six decades of experience with communal violence need to be devised and activated.

Dayal also wanted the NIC to meet at least once a year. The latest meeting comes after NIC met on Sept. 10 2011 in New Delhi.

Jawaharlal Nehru constituted the NIC in 1961 to find ways to counter problems that were dividing the country, such a sectarian issues. It was reconstituted and met after a gap again in August 2005.

Source: press release