Meghalaya may be a Christian majority state, but it is not a “Christian State”:TUR

Shillong, August 13: Thma U Rangli-Juki condemns the many intolerant residents and the dorbar of Shnong Madan iingsyiem, Mylliem who tried to prevent the cremation of (Late) Mr. Kulam Nongrum (President Sengbah ki Nongshad Nongkheiñ) in accordance with Niam Khasi faith in his village. It was only after the intervention of the District administration and an offer of space by Seng Khasi Hima Mylliem that Late Mr. Nongrum could be cremated. The fundamentalist and intolerant behaviour of the some of the Christian majority of the village ensured that the solemn funeral procession was also an occasion for hurling insults on the adherents of the indigenous faith.

This was not an aberration. This has been happening in that area for the last 20 odd years. This climate of intolerance has meant that most adherents of Niam Khasi in this area have had no choice but to bury their dead going against their deeply held religious belief of Cremation. Even intervention by the Lyngdoh – traditional priest to give land for the last rites to followers of Niam Khasi of the area, has been a target of a legal civil suit as well as violent attack in September 2016, where the Village majority desecrated the allotted space  and prevented Niam Khasi people from performing their rituals. Today after the family was refused land for cremation by the dorbar, they approached the Seng Khasi who gave them space at the private property of the iing Seng.

TUR as an organization which believes in secular polity and religious freedom, has been resisting the rise of Hindutva fascism and intolerance in India as well as in Meghalaya. It has even protested the attempts by the BJP run government to enact anti minority anti-conversion laws and anti cow slaughter laws to appease Hindu majority.  But we cannot sit silent when the same persecuted religious minority when it becomes  a majority (like in Meghalaya) behaves in the same authoritarian and fascist way.

It is incumbent on the Christian majority of Meghalaya that it does not behave in the same majoritarian ways as the Hindutva fascists are behaving in mainland India. Meghalaya may be a Christian majority state but it is not a “Christian State’. It is a state of (still) a secular republic called India. As a majority, Christians need to acknowledge and respect culture, faith and tradition of minorities of whichever persuasion they belong. We cannot let the virus of religious communal polarization spread in our society.

This action by the village majority also points to the arbitrary exercise of power by  traditional village administration and village headmen. TUR in the past had called for a proper gender just, secular, democratic reform of traditional village administration which misuses so called tradition to hide its illegal and unethical behavior. A suitably democratic, gender just VAB is the need of the hour. Said Smti Angela Rangad president TUR in her press statement.

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