n the aftermath of the recent violence against Christians in Orissa, I realized once again that while human rights are universal and important, every community needs a John Dayal, for while human rights as a whole needs champions, minority rights needs many more champions. John Dayal wears many hats. He is the Chairman of the All India Catholic Union, he is also a Catholic member of India’s National Integration Council (a stone age body resurrected by the UPA), he is also the secretary general of the All India Christian Council.
John Dayal has been instrumental in bringing to national and world attention the violent Hindutva fundamentalist agenda against minorities within India. His pioneering work in documentation, networking and public mobilization has been largely responsible for the majority community in India coming to the assistance of the minorities in countering the challenge of its opponents.
This is especially true because a great deal of the violence, harassment and victimization is directed towards tribals, Dalits and other marginalized sections of the community whose voice unless it is amplified and reported in time, will never reach the desks and tables of those in authority who can make a difference. At a time when temperatures typically run high, keeping a cool head and making a factual and dispassionate analysis and assessment requires a commitment and a calling that not many have.
John Dayal, a professional journalist and documentary film maker specializing in politics and diplomacy, has been active in Human rights and civil liberties since 1971 when he published his research papers on drug addiction among the youth in the national capital of Delhi, followed by a series of investigations into child prostitution, sexual exploitation of young boys, and police torture of under-trial prisoners in Delhi and neighboring states
John has been instrumental in documenting the recent communal violence in Orissa’s Kandhamal district as part of a three member fact finding group and released a White Paper on the prevailing situation after their visit. The committee condemned all forms of fundamentalism, whether Hindu or Christian and demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the High court or the Supreme Court.
Although John Dayal has largely concentrated on matters against violence against Christians, this is not all. In the recent past he was part of the independent People’s Tribunal on Nandigram headed by Justice S.N.Bhargava, former Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court that investigated human rights violations in the area. Though typically Christians in India tend to stay aloof and some times have an isolationist approach, John Dayal remains an person who we can find at all platforms—from those against communalism to those fighting unsustainable globalization or assault on Dalits and tribals or special economic zones.
But religious freedom is his passion and his statement from Orissa, where perhaps the stress took its toll and he had to be hospitalized says it all: “We need to put an end to fundamentalism which has penetrated all walks of life, the rural areas, among the poor, judges, police, everywhere. The crisis in India is not one of religion but development and we cannot afford to shift our focus away from development”. Every community needs its own John Dayal, an activist voice to speak on behalf of the widow, the fatherless and the marginalized and to make their voices heard in the highest places.
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