News of Synod:

   

 

CNI IN SOLIDARITY WITH “SANGHARSH 2007”

The Church of North India itself believes in people’s movement and has always been proactive in responding to the outcry of struggling people.  As consultation for CREEM was underway in Greater Noida, not too far from New Delhi, simultaneous on the streets outside the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a group of people from different movements, voluntary organizations and concerned citizens came together in a collective struggle naming it “Sangharsh 2007” (Struggle 2007) to defend the right to life, livelihood, habitat with dignity and sovereignty of the nation and its peoples in a common protest. In a brutal response to this legitimate protest on the 22nd of March 62 activists, including Medha Patkar, Gautam Bandopadhyay, Simpreet Singh, Sanjeev and Sr. Celia, as many as 62 people were given 15 days of judicial remand in Tihar Jail for demonstrating outside a government office.

This Sangharsh 2007 asserts the right to life, the right to freedom from the fear of violence and peaceful co-existence. It calls for people’s primary right over water, land, forests, bio-diversity, air, minerals and aquatic life. Action 2007 also calls for Dalits, Adivasis, women, minorities, workers and all excluded people. It also calls for the right to sustainable development without displacement and marginalization.

The Sangharsh 2007 demands the acceptance of people’s sovereignty over natural resources, the democratic right and dignity to all, protection against urban evictions and livelihood, the defense of people’s sovereignty, the strengthening of environmental governance structures of the government, the demilitarization and end to violations of human rights and calls for an egalitarian and just society.

The core thrust of the Sangharsh 2007 is to bring to the attention of the UPA government the issues on the agenda of people’s movements and force them to listen to the voices of the people. To this end a sustained effort between 19th of March and the 15th of April in Delhi . The response by the government to common everyday people who are legitimately protesting their right to life, livelihood and dignity has been nothing but shocking, on the 22nd of March 62 activists, including Medha Patkar, Gautam Bandopadhyay, Simpreet Singh, Sanjeev and Sr. Celia, as many as 62 people were given 15 days of judicial remand in Tihar Jail for demonstrating outside a government office.  The participants of Sangharsh 2007 vow to continue their struggle until the UPA government listens to the legitimate voices of the majority of India ’s people.

Impressed and concerned about Sangharsh 2007, on the 24th of March as a sign of solidarity with the people who were demanding their legitimate rights and the rights of a majority of our country, a delegation from CREEM programme of Church of North India comprising Rt. Rev. Prabal Kanta Dutta, Bishop of Durgapur, Mr. David Selvaraj of Vishtar, Bangalore and a few others visited the activists at Jantar Mantar where Bishop Dutta in a gesture of solidarity addressed to the people encouraging them in their struggle and promised the solidarity of the Church of North India with the struggles of the people. Speaking to the activists later, he was given to understand that their resources were running thin and that they were in need of some support.

The next day at the Eucharist service at the CREEM consultation the Bishop made a passionate appeal to the leaders and members of the CNI who had gathered there. Speaking from the context of John 2, the wedding at Cana , he appealed to the worshipping community to refill the empty jars. As part of an act of worship the people responded to the Bishop’s call by offering more than Rs. 5000 as the offertory. This amount was matched by a further Rs. 5000/- by the Synod of CNI.

The total amount of Rs. 10,000/- was then handed over to Sr. Cecil, a senior activist of the Sangharsh on the 26th of March by Rt. Rev. Probal Kanto Dutta, Bishop of Durgapur, Rt. Rev. Pradeep Lamuel Kamble, Bishop of Nasik, Rt. Rev. Naresh Samuel Ambala, Bishop of Eastern Himalaya and Mr. Philip Vinod Peacock, lecturer, Bishop’s College who were delegated by the Church of North India on behalf of the participants of CREEM. The activists and the people warmly received the Bishops of the CNI and accepted their contribution.

The offering by the members of the Church of North India with the activists of Sangharsh 2007 marked a new phase in the churches solidarity along with the people’s movements and furthered a deeper commitment to justice by the CNI.  Definitely it was all possible as an outcome of CREEM where the perspective of mission was given new horizon.