{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 185,
  "chapterName": "1948. Condition of Christians in East Punjab Following Partition",
  "pageFrom": 385,
  "pageTo": 387,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 385,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n385\nmember that the united Church, on account of its origin and history,\nmust have special relations with the Churches in the West through\nwhich it has come into existence, and they are confident that it will so\nregulate its acts as to maintain fellowship both with those Churches\nand with other branches of the Catholic Church with which the\nuniting Churches are now in communion.\nThey also recognize that the united Church, as a part of the\nChurch Universal, must give full weight to the pronouncements of\nbodies representative of the whole Church, and, in particular,\nwould desire to take part in the deliberations and decisions of an\nEcumenical Council, if such should in the mercy of God be some\nday called together...\nTHE DEVELOPMENT OF FULL UNITY IN MINISTRY AND\nLIFE WITHIN THE UNITED CHURCH\n16. The uniting Churches agree that it is their intention and\nexpectation that eventually every minister exercising a permanent\nministry in the united Church will be an episcopally ordained\nminister.\nFor the thirty years succeeding the inauguration of the union,\nthe ministers of any Church whose missions have founded the\noriginally separate parts of the united Church may be received as\nministers of the united Church. After this period of thirty years,\nthe united Church must determine for itself whether it will continue\nto make any exceptions to the rule that its ministry is an episcopally\nordained ministry, and generally under what conditions it will\nreceive ministers from other Churches into its ministry...\n185. CONDITION OF CHRISTIANS IN EAST PUNJAB\nFOLLOWING PARTITION (1948 A.D.)\nIn this account Dr. E. C. Bhatty of the National Christian Council\nof India describes the impact of partition and the consequent exchange\nof population upon the Christian community in the Punjab, with\nspecial reference to the East. It is to be noted that the prediction that\nChristians would not, in the future, be able to earn their living from\nland' turned out to be incorrect. The United Church Review, Vol.\nXXI, (June 1948), pp. 136-137.\nReports from some areas in East Punjab show that Christians\nhave been adversely affected by the Partition and the consequent\ninterchange of population. We have no reports from the Gurgaon\nand Rohtak districts where some Christians are alleged to have\nsuffered loss of property. With one or two exceptions, no loss of\nH.C.I.-25",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 386,
      "ocrText": "386\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nlife occurred. Threats and persecution continue in individual\ncases in these districts. There has been some loss of life and pro-\nperty in other districts of East Punjab. The following details\nfrom a few areas give some idea of the nature and extent of loss:\nFerozepore:\nChristians migrated from W. to E. Punjab\n500 families\nKilled\n150 persons\nProperty looted worth\nRs. 1,00,000\nLoss through floods\nRs. 3,00,000\nGuruhar Sahai and Mamdot:\nVillages affected by flood\n11\n1\nVillages looted\n74 persons 394\nFamilies rendered destitute\nRs. 16,589\nEstimated loss of property of these families..\nMoga:\nLoss of life\n23 persons\nLoss of houses, with their belongings\n72 families\nLoss of household effects to looters\n55 families\nLoss of Life: Causes\n(1) Some were killed through joining the groups of raiders.\n(2) Some were killed from enmity.\n(3) Some were killed in the course of indiscriminate slaughter.\n(4) Some were killed who had fraternized with Muslims in the\npast.\nSocial Disabilities and Persecution :\nNew type of social disabilities are being imposed to which\nChristians were not accustomed. Demands are being made on\nthem for kinds of menial service which they have not formerly\nrendered. In Patiala, wells formerly used jointly by Muslims and\nChristians have been closed for Christians by the new landlords.\nForced labour has been familiar. Belongings of Christians have\nbeen forcibly taken by refugees. Obviously these things happen\nbecause a certain section of the people have little regard left for law\nand order. The Government of East Punjab is, however, making\ndesperate efforts to restore law and order to restrain the activities\nof the lawless element.",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 387,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n387\nEconomic Status:\nThose who were employed as Contract labourers by Muslims\nlost their share of grain. They could not claim their share of the\ncrop as they were employed as private labourers. Those cultivating\nland on batai system are however, secure.\nReports from all areas indicated that the place of Christians on\nthe land, and in agricultural work generally, is becoming very\ninsecure. Dr. H. J. Strickler, for instance, reports, in the Batala\narea the Christians are being entirely left out in the re-distribution\nof land. An effort has been made in Kapurthala to have some of\nthe land left by Muslims given to Christians, but but it now appears\nthat the authorities are unwilling to let the Christians have land,\nbecause they want a landless servant class in the villages. In some\nareas it is reported that Christian tenants on land have had their\ncrops stolen or destroyed. The Salvation Army reports that on\nboth sides of the line they have been receiving petitions for help\nfrom Christians, who say they are going to be displaced and turned\noff the land, when the present crop is harvested. Also it is expected\nthat the food situation will become much worse for Christians\nafter the grain they now have, purchased cheaply during the distur-\nbances, is exhausted'. Rev. E. Y. Campbell from Jullundhar\nreports that Christians who are cultivating land on the basis of a\nsix months' lease, will not get a renewal as the land will be allotted\nto refugees. The families which have been rendered destitute need\ngrain and clothing.\nReport has also come that Christians on the land in Bhavalpur\nState are being threatened by Muslims and the State authorities\nhave expressed inability to guarantee protection. In the section\nof Kasure Tahsil on the India side of the border there has been\npressure on Christians, and threats that unless they again become\nMazahabi Sikhs they will not be allowed to stay. This has been\nbrought to the attention of the Ministers who have promised to\nput an end to these threats. The matter of the Bhavalpur Christians\nhas also been brought to the attention of the Government of\nIndia, and Mr. Leslie Cross of the Friends' Service Unit, who has\ngone to Bhavalpur State to assist in evacuation of non-Muslims\nhas been asked to investigate and, if need be, to make representa-\ntions to His Highness on behalf of the Christians. The Govern-\nment will be prepared to evacuate them if such an emergency arises.\nThe general consensus of opinion is that Christians can no\nlonger earn their living from land, and must now look more to\nindustry. How far they will be able to continue to live in villages\nwhile dependent on other occupations is a question requiring\ncareful study. Some occupations formerly closed may now be",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}