Indian bishops: Anti-terrorism bills must better define 'terrorist'

(December 20, 2008) The Catholic Church in India said the country is moving in "the right direction" by formulating anti-terrorism bills, but it also should define the term "terrorist" more broadly. "The country has witnessed unprecedented attacks on innocent people in recent times," said the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India in a Dec. 18 letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The bishops noted the sectarian violence in Gujarat, Karnataka and Orissa states, where several incidents of extremist Hindu violence against Christians have occurred in the past five years. The Asian church news agency UCA News reported on the letter. "Keeping in mind communal violence that takes place in our country through inflammatory speeches and hate campaigns against religious minorities by anti-social elements," the bishops said, "it is imperative that the definition of terrorist is made more comprehensive." The Indian Parliament's lower house passed two bills December 17 to create a federal agency exclusively to fight terrorism and amend provisions of an existing anti-terrorism law to allow government departments to deal with cases more easily and efficiently, reported UCA News.