New Delhi, 19 March 2015: Several social and human rights organizations and main political parties of the Opposition held a daylong sit-in near Parliament House here Thursday to protest rise in attacks on minorities since BJP came to power and Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of the country in May 2014. The protest demonstration was organized on the occasion of completion of 300 days of the Modi government at the centre.

“Human Rights and Civil Society groups have documented at least 43 deaths in over 600 cases of violence, 149 targeting Christians and the rest Muslims, have taken place in 2014 in India till March this year, marking 300 days of the National Development Alliance government of Mr. Narendra Modi,” said eminent rights activist and Christian leader Dr. John Dayal while speaking at the event. 

He further said: The Christian Persecution data lists 168 cases. An analysis of the Christian data alone shows Chhattisgarh topping the list with 28 incidents of crime, followed closely by neighbouring Madhya Pradesh with 26, Uttar Pradesh with 18 and Telengana, a newly carved out of Andhra Pradesh, with 15 incidents.  

“The rape of the aged Catholic Nun in a Convent and School in Ranaghat in West Bengal, is the most horrendous crime reported in the first quarter of 2015,” he said.

“The 300 days have also seen an assault on democratic structures, the education and knowledge system, Human Rights organizations and Rights Defenders and coercive action using the Intelligence Bureau and the systems if the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act and the Passport laws to crack down on NGOs working in areas of empowerment of the marginalized sections of society, including Dalits, Tribals, Fishermen and women, and issues of environment, climate, forests, land and water rights,” said the organizers in a detailed report.

They alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi refuses to reprimand his Cabinet colleagues, restrain the members of his party members or silence the Sangh Parivar which claims to have propelled him to power in New Delhi.

Eminent politicians who address the event included Ajay Makan of Congress, Raghuvansh Yadav of RJD and Ali Anwar Ansari of JDU. Eminent social activists to address the gathering were Shabnam Hashmi, Ram Puniyani and Navaid Hamid.