AHMEDABAD, INDIA, March 29, 2003: A group of Christian organizations has petitioned the Gujarat state High Court to halt a government survey of Christians on the grounds that it “unlawfully targets” the minority group. The All-India Christian Council said the Christians are being “victimized in the name of collecting census information.” For the past two weeks, police have been visiting Christians across this western state. The questionnaire asks, “Were you a Hindu earlier? When and why did you convert? Are you getting any money every month from Christians? Do you read the Bible? Why did you convert? Do you want to be reconverted to Hinduism?” The High Court gave police until April 10 to explain why the survey is not illegal. Another petition, filed with the Supreme Court, will be heard on April 6. The state government says the survey is being conducted to answer a question by a lawmaker in India’s federal Parliament about the financing of Christian and nongovernmental organizations.
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