To the
Honourable President of India
Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi
India – 110 004.

Fax : 91-11-23017290 / 91-11-23017824

Honourable Madam President,

with shock and distress I got the news of the arrest of Rev. Chander Mani Khanna, the Presbyter-In-Charge of the All Saints´s Church of the Church of North India (CNI) in Srinagar. The Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau, Germany, has an ecumenical partnership with the diocese of Amritsar, to which Rev. Khanna and the All Saint´s Church belong.

As I understand, Rev. Khanna is accused of having converted Muslim youth to Christianity. He has clarified his actions and position, which are in conformity with the constitution of India. As I know the responsible persons and the work of the diocese of Amritsar, I am sure that the Church of North India and the diocese of Amritsar do not endorse any conversion with allurement. In fact a conversion with allurements is not consistent with the theological understanding of the Church of North India and our own theological position as a protestant church.

Every Indian can be proud of the secular ethos of this great country of yours. Its constitution gives every citizen the fundamental right to choose his or her religion and to practise it freely. It would be against the spirit of the constitution to curtail this very basic and human right as envisioned by the founding fathers of this great nation. Therefore I kindly request you to look into incidents in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in which these rights are violated.

I am deeply concerned about the security and welfare of Rev. Khanna, his family, the youth with him and the Christian community. Rev. Khanna himself is a committed person, who is engaged in development works and in peace and reconciliation initiatives. I request you to intervene in his case and to look into the precarious situation of the Christian community in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. In some places our fellow Christians are living in fear.

I request you and all concerned to uphold the tolerant and secular traditions of your esteemed country and to take the necessary steps to protect the life and property of the minority community, which has rendered invaluable services for the development of India.

Hoping your firm support and wishing the people of India peace, inter - religious harmony and prosperity, I remain.

Yours Sincerely