Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 20 2008:
Charges and rebuttals with regard to the recent incident at Chingmeirong Kabui village continue to pour in with religious bodies conveying their respective viewpoints on the matter.
Contrary to the All Rongmei Christian Women Forum (Assam, manipur and Nagaland) claiming that members of Chingmeirong Village Authority (CVA) were involved in dismantling a Church besides damaging properties of a Christian family staying at the same village, Zeliangrong Religious Council (Zeliangrong Rachappriak Phom) Assam, Manipur & Nagaland strongly refuted existence of any Church thereby dismissing claim of the structure being dismantled.
According to an ARCWF release the CVA had been systematically and consistently harassing the newly converted family of one Kaphun and others since 2006 till date.
Substantiating on the allegation, the women's body contended that apart from serving eviction notice to Christian families the CVA imposed penalties (fines) against the Christian families.
With regard to the December 14 incident, it maintained that properties worth Rs 2.50 lakhs were lost due to dismantling of the Church and Kaphun's house.
Strongly condemning the act of arson, ARCWF demanded that state authorities pull-up and punish the culprits and extend compensation to the affected family.
The ARCWF also charged State media organisations of biased reporting on the particular incident and threatened to approach relevant authorities to do the needful.
In sharp contrast to the ARCWF allegations and reacting to earlier accusations by numerous Christian organisations, the Zeliangrong Religious Council insisted that question of dismantling Church does not arise as such a religious place/building do not exist in the village.
Conveying to all concerned to visit and ascertain veracity of the Church's existence, the Council also dismissed as 'some Christian's wild allegation' to draw the attention and sympathy of the public by blaming the chingmeirong villagers.
Recounting circumstances that led to the incident, it asserted that while the local womenfolk were out on normal duty of maintaining vigil at dusk Kaphun Malangmei and his wife came out with torch and enquired who threw stone at his roof.
With the women vigilant group responding they are unaware of any such incident the wife directly challenged them with the accusation that they (womenfolk) are the culprits to which the women group demonstrated their anger by damaging Kaphun's house partially, the Council claimed in a release.
Referring to image (photo) published in The Sangai Express, it contended that Kaphun's house has been depicted as that of a Church with the malicious intention of portraying the Chingmeirong villagers as law breakers and subjugators of freedom of religion enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
Conveying that it honours and upholds the constitutional grant on religious freedom, the Council also questioned whether the indian Constitution approve or permit conversion through coercive and unfair means such as 'bribery, etc'.
Highlighting that Kaphun Malangmei himself is a signatory of a particular meeting resolution that prohibits religious conversions other than to Tingkao Ragwang Chapriak with the violators supposed to voluntarily leave the village, the Council accused Kaphun of being breaker of peace and unity of the Chingmeirong village.