Fri, 02/07/2010 - 10:05am GCIC slams the Interrogation of young school students in Right Wing Ruled BJP State

GCIC slams the Interrogation of young school students in Right Wing Ruled BJP State of Madhya Pradesh by Dharam Rakshak Samiti activists

On June 28th, a bus carrying around 40 school students was blocked on a public road in a suburb of Indore

The students mainly belonging to the minority Christian community hailed from Orissa state were returning to their school in Indore after summer vacation. The school is managed by Youth With a Mission.

Fri, 14/05/2010 - 9:01am Chief of Sri Ram Sene, Pramod Muthalik caught fixing ‘riot’ deal in sting expose

Chief of Sri Ram Sene, Pramod Muthalik caught fixing ‘riot’ deal in sting expose

New Delhi, May 13, DHNS:
A ‘Headlines Today – Tehelka’ investigation has caught on camera Pramod Muthalik, self-proclaimed chief of Karnataka’s moral brigade and head of Sri Rama Sene caught on camera accepting money from an undercover reporter who posed as an artist, to vandalise his show.
A ‘Headlines Today’ press release said here on Thursday that it telecast a programme, after a six-week-long joint investigation, where the Sene chief says he would help vandalise the “artist’s” exhibition, at a sensitive locality, dominated by Muslims. The reporter discusses the devious proposal with Muthalik saying he is a painter who wanted to shoot to fame and wealth like M F Husain.

The release added: “The joint investigation exposes how Muthalik and his chief aides are willing to incite a riot for the love of lucre. As per the proposal discussed first with Muthalik – who in turn put the reporter in touch with his aides – the Sene would help vandalise the “artist’s” exhibition, at a sensitive locality, dominated by Muslims”.

The investigation also captures how easy it is for the undercover reporters to speak to the jailed trusted lieutenants of Muthalik where the price was fixed. “For this we were told to contact Pramod Muthalik’s trusted lieutenants. One was his deputy, Prasad Attavar, who was on the run from the police and the other, Vasant Kumar Bhavani was the head of the Bangalore unit”.

The release said: “We met Attavar four times...and only once as a free man... Soon after our first meeting he was arrested... but that was no hindrance. His clout is such that paying the right officials we could still freely meet him inside the jail compound and we could still discuss on how the Ram sene could be hired to stage a riot”.

Wed, 05/05/2010 - 7:15pm Jesuit pioneered in rural management remembered

May 5, 2010
Confreres of Belgian jesuit Father Michael Van Den Bogaert, who pioneered rural management education in Madhya Pradesh, remembered the priest by naming an institution in his name.
In an effort to perpetuate the name of a Belgian Jesuit, who pioneered management education for Indian village, his confreres have named part of an institution in his name.

The Xavier Institute of Development Action and Study (XIDAS) in Jabalpur diocese on April 29 named one of its blocks after Father Michael Van Den Bogaert, who founded it in 1995.

The priest, who died in 2009 at the age of 81, pioneered rural management education in Madhya Pradesh through the institute. It runs management courses to promote livelihood, health care, justice and to protect environment.

Belgian ambassador to India Jean-Marie Deboutte opened the memorial and the bust of the late priest at the main entrance. He said Father Bogaert was a “great patriot and dedicated his life for the poor.”

Recalling from his personnel meeting with the priest, the diplomat said the priest was “dynamic person, full of optimism and faith. He was truly a man of faith and action.”

He also founded India’s management schools such as Xavier Institute of Social Services in Ranchi in 1963, and Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar in 1968.

Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur recalled his association with the priest and said the Jesuit was “a man of faith” and “a great intellectual” who always thought of the welfare of the poor.

XIDAS director Jesuit Father Sebasti L Raj said his late confrere “never hesitated” to take up adventures to address the issues of the poor.

Father Raj said he planned to name the academic building after the Father Bogaert when he was alive but could not materialize because of the Belgian’s sudden demise.

Jesuit Father Marcel Ekka, who worked with the late priest, told UCA News “he had a sort of obsession for the poor.” He could never tolerate the suffering of the poor and did everything possible to help them.

Mon, 26/04/2010 - 1:27pm Bhopal Prayer rally in remembrance of Amit Gilbert

On the 25.04.2010 at around 4:00pm the Pastors and Christian leaders and believers from different churches joined together for prayer and worship in remembrance of Brother Amit Gilbert who was martyred for Christ in Sallaiya a village near Betul district Madhya Pradesh and also for the recent persecution in Bhilai Chattisgarh they gathered in a place called Neelam park near lower lake heart of the city about 3 kilometers from Bhopal railway station.Around 250 people gathered to remember Martyred Amit Gilbert. Meeting started with prayer and then worship and Word of God shared by few Pastors.The Pastor who conducted the meeting in Sallaiya Pastor Shantwan Lal came with 7 believers of that area and he shared the whole story. he was telling that the police was hindering for the post mortem of Amit but he stood his ground and insisted for the post mortem and in the report doctors said no water was found in Amit's stomach and there was a big wound on the back of Amit's head. If he would have fell in the well and died definitely water would found in his stomach We need to Pray Pray and Pray.The meeting was concluded by 7:00pm by a prayer by Pastor Sam Mathews GCIC Coordinator for Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

Sun, 18/04/2010 - 4:54pm Christian meting attacked in Madhya Pradesh

Pastor Amos Singh of Balaghat Madhya pradesh who runs a ministry called Jeevan Jyoti Ministries was holding a crusade called Shanti Mahotsav in the Balaghat Stadium. Tthe preacher in the meeting was Evangelist Ram Babu who is a known preacher. On the First day that is 13 of April 2010 there were around 5000 people attending they were from the villages nearby. On the second day there were around 4000 people in attendence during the meeting the Bajrang Dal and BJP people threw a petrol bomb to disturb the meeting. On the third day that is 15th April there were around 9000 people were there, around 200 Bajrang Dal and BJP workers tried to enter the stadium the Police stopped them [as this meeting was held in a big way all needed permission was taken from concerned authorities] so they started to manhandle the police too then the police pushed them back and started beating them with lathis they moved back and waited for the meeting to get over.

After 9 pm when the meeting was over people were coming out of the stadium the Bajrang Dal and BJP people were waiting they flooded upon the people and started beating them there has been wounds on peoples like lathis mark and they even threw stones on them, then they entered the places were people were living like Dharamshalas they locked their rooms with their luggages inside when they came to get the luggages they charged upon them so they ran for life then the Bjrang Dal people went to the railway stations and Bus stand were the delegates were to leave for their villages they entered inside the trains and beat them they broke the window panes of train and also the bues and beat the people insisde the buses. The whole episode went on till morning. The police has declared section 144.Please pray for the safety of believers in this area and also for Pastor Amos Sigh and his family.

Sun, 18/04/2010 - 4:44pm Breaking News-Evangelist Amit Killed during RSS attack in Madhya Pradesh

Itarsi-18th April-2010

Amit Gilbert 25 years old was a M Div student in the Itarsi Fellowship Churchs Bible college.He went to attend a covention on 17th April’10 at 8:30 p.m organised by Pastor Santanan Lal in a village called Salapur, 40 kilometers from Betul District of Madhya Pradesh. While the meting was on, around 15 RSS people barged into the Christian meeting of around 400 people attending. The attackers first destroyed the Bibles and cassette tapes kept in the book stall in the premises then they started breaking the tube lights with huge sticks and then it became dark and then started attacking the believers and others who came to attend the meeting.

In the meanwhile everyone started running in different directions and Amit Gilbert also started running for his life ,as he ran in the dark there was an open well as found in the villages here and it is said that Amit fell into it which had one and a half meter water he hit his head on the edge ( a section of the villagers believe that the radicals threw him in the well) His brothers found Amit missing they started searching [the RSS people left the scene after 20 minutes] later they found his dead body in the well then police from Sarni police station came and took his body out.Amits body is in the MPEB hospital Sarni his post mortem will be done. Cremation may take place on 10th April. FIR has beeen lodged in the Sarni police station. Please pray for the family members and relatives of Amit.

Thu, 25/03/2010 - 9:14am GLOBAL COUNCIL OF INDIAN CHRSITANS (GCIC) Celebrates Pro Life Day

March 25th

GCIC is dedicated to defending religious values and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and promotes a Culture of Life.

GCIC promote pro-life and advocates Religious Freedom as enshrined in Article 25 of the India Constitution

Our Kandhamal Christians have suffered intensely at the brutal hands of the Right wing forces and continue to suffer the injustice of the legal processes.

GCIC provides legal assistance to our Kandhamal Christians in ensuing legal justice and adequate compensation and is an advocate of their rehabilitation.

The Kandhamal women and children have been our special focus and GCIC continues to provide all assistance to combat the Culture of Death that threatens them.

GCIC prays that India will work to protecting Life - especially of our vulnerable and minority groups- and never let the shame of Kandhamal Christians ever be repeated.