Nagla Ajita is a tiny obscure village barely 10 km from Agra town. The 7,000 inhabitants are mainly Balmikis and Kanjars, both scheduled castes. There is a pathshala (school), a couple of ration shops and a few brick roads in the name of development here. Its residents seemed utterly confused when a group of 14 strangers descended on this village on April 22. Children excitedly chased the van as it negotiated the dusty, bumpy village tracks. Soon, the purpose of this visitation unfolded. They turned out to be Christian missionaries out to spread their religion in this remote pocket.
But the would-be evangelists had to beat a hasty retreat. Soon after their arrival, they were attacked by a group of Hindus. Says Additional DG (Law and Order) Gyaneshwar Jha, "People turned hostile probably because they thought that this group was attempting to lure the poor villagers into converting to Christianity." The locals alleged that the missionaries even walked into the temple with their shoes on, showing scant respect, which led to the locals manhandling the missionaries and setting ablaze promotional literature stacked in the van. But before the violence could turn serious, the police reached the spot.
This is not the first such incident in this backward region of Uttar Pradesh. There have been a series of precedents where priests and nuns were attacked in their school premises. Though the police sidestep most of these cases and brand them as robberies, the missionaries feel otherwise. Says Father Ignatius DSouza, director for the Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Lucknow: "Most of these cases, including the Staines murders, follow a typical pattern: harm the targeted individual, cause damage to the property and then finally rob them." This, he explains, helps the administration dismiss the case as robbery or dacoity.
What happened in the St Theresa School in Barhana, Kosi locality of Mathura district on April 11, stands as an example of the modus operandi the missionaries speak of. A group of about 20 goons armed with knives and sticks had barged into the school premises early morning on April 11. The miscreants forcibly entered the convent and attacked the vice-principal, Sister Priscilla, and another nun, Sister Gloria. When the principal of the school, Father K.K. Thomas, rushed to the rescue of the nuns, he was also assaulted. The miscreants then ransacked the convent and the parish house and decamped with cash and valuables.
Fr Thomas told Outlook, "Even today I am convinced that they intended to kill me." According to him, he had to lie still for at least two hours and pretend he was dead. The goons parting shot was to the principals servant. "Take care, the man is dead." Thomas is still undergoing bedrest due to the severe head injuries he suffered in the attack. The vice-principal and Sister Gloria are still in shock. Sister Priscilla has left for Jhansi and has no intention of returning. The school now functions under police protection. The police on their part believe the attack was the handiwork of a criminal tribe operating on the Uttar Pradesh-Rajasthan border. Says Senior Superintendent of Police, Agra, Subesh Kumar Singh: "Their dress and description match those of the banjaras (gypsies) of this region." Jha too supports this view and claims that there was no communal angle.
On April 6, just about a week before this incident, people of different parties as well as members of the Bar Association demonstrated in front of The Sacred Heart Convent in Agra. Their grievance, according to the local administration, was the sudden hike in fees and the raising of the minimum pass percentage from 33 to 40 per cent. Just four days later, a group of six people forced themselves into the principals office in St Dominics School, Agra, insisting on admissions. On refusal, the principal was assaulted. A case has been registered and Vijay Sharma and Arvind Sharma have been booked for the crime. What distresses members of the Christian Core Group dealing with the human rights of minorities is that only missionary schools are made targets of public wrath at the time of admissions. "Why dont we get to hear of the same commotion in other schools?" asks Father DSouza.
But it is not the educational aspect that is creating heartburn, it is the proselytisation. After the arrest of five Bajrang Dal activists in connection with the Nagla Ajita incident, the saffron brigade is spewing fire on the missionaries. Says Vinay Katiyar, Bajrang Dal chief: "They (the missionaries) have no business to lure people to Christianity." Union minister for surface transport Rajnath Singh, on his one-day visit to Kanpur, justified the action of the members of the Bajrang Dal. He said, "It cannot be defined as a criminal act because the poor were rescued from forcible conversion." But, says state Congress leader Pramod Tewari, "The fanatic groups like the VHP and Bajrang Dal have got extra teeth because they have an indulgent government in this state."
The police handling of the case also leaves a lot to be desired. The investigation so far poses more questions than it answers. First of all, the 14 missionaries, hailing from Hyderabad according to their own statements, were released on personal sureties after being brought to Agra. They left town immediately and the police is now groping for their whereabouts. The police has no clue about their local contacts or how they came to the village. "We have contacted the Hyderabad Police to help us on this," says ssp Subesh Singh. And this, according to the Congress Tewari, indicates the tardy manner in which the administration is acting on the case.
Whatever may have been the intentions of the group at Nagla Ajita, their presence there has provided fodder to the Sangh parivar campaign against missionaries in Uttar Pradesh. It would appear that the fanaticism of a few among its flock is another cross for the Church to bear.
