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INTRODUCTORY
1. What was the total population of Christians and non-Christians (a) Scheduled Castes, (b) Scheduled Tribes, and (c) Others, in your district, in 1941, 1947, 1951, and 1954, respectively?
2. What reasons do you attribute to the rise or fall in the population as given above?
3. How many of the present Christian population are born Christians?
CONVERSIONS
4. How many conversions to Christianity have taken place in your district since 1947, year by year? Of the persons converted, how many were members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, separately?
5. State the manner of conversion, as far as it is known to you. Are the people converted individually or in groups? In the case of a family, is it only the head of the family that is usually converted?
6. What are the organisations, in your district, engaged in the work of conversion? Do the agents of these organisations approach people individually?
7. Please give a complete idea of the working of such organisations. How are pracharaks recruited, and where do they come from? What are their emoluments? Are rewards offered for successful work?
8. What, to your knowledge, are the methods used for conversion? Are any of the following methods used:-
(a) Advancing loans. If so, what are the terms on which loans are advanced?
(b) Promising or providing free medical facilities.
(c) Giving free education to children.
(d) Promising help in litigation.
(e) Promising relief from social disabilities suffered in ancestral religion and class, and a better social status as Christians.
(f) Offering employment.
(g) Holding out hopes of better marriages and greater social freedom.
(h) Extolling Christianity and foreign culture.
(i) Extolling Jesus Christ and decrying non-Christian deities.
(j) Threatening danger of eternal damnation to unconverted souls.
(k) Holding out hopes of political advantages.
(l) Threatening social boycott and harassment.
(m) Other fraudulent and unfair means.
Please give specific - instances known to you, under the various heads, giving names, time and place, wherever possible.
9. How many literate people (persons of the Matriculation standard and above) and how many well-to-do people (persons with an annual income of Rs. 1,000 and above) have been converted, in your district, since 1947?
10. Do you know of cases where conversion has been the result of religious conviction? If so, what were the educational, social and financial status of such people?
11. Do you think that conversion to Christianity adversely affects the national loyalty and outlook of converts? Give instances and state reasons?
12. Where does Christian preaching, with a view to conversion, usually take place? Do you know of this being done in any of the following:-
(a) Houses of individuals and Mukhias in villages,
(b) Schools,
(c) Hospitals,
(d) Orphanages and other charitable institutions,
(e) Bazars,
(f) Fairs,
(g) Churches, and
(h) Any other place?
13. Has such preaching offended the sensibilities of people of other religions? If so, has it resulted in unpleasant consequences?
14. Do foreign Missionaries also use such language, or is it only Indian Pracharaks?
15. What standing do the Pracharaks have in the villages where there work? Are they outsiders or people of the locality? What are their general methods of work?
16. What are the educational qualifications of the Pracharaks? Do they get emoluments disproportionate to their qualifications, and are special rewards offered for successful propagation of the faith?
17. What training do Pracharaks get before they begin work? How many of them get sent to foreign countries for training, and how is their selection made?
18. In how many villages does a Pracharak work? Who supervises his work? What is the criterion of success in a Pracharak�s work?
19. What literature is used for propagating the Christian faith? Please supply copies of pamphlets, tracts, etc., that are freely distributed among the people.
20. What other methods are used for propaganda: Magic lanterns, films, loud-speakers, etc.?
21. Do you know of cases where patients or school children were refused help at critical stages, unless they got themselves converted? If so, mention names of individuals and institutions concerned.
22. Are any fairs held by Christian in your district? If so, what are the programmes at such fairs, and who participates in them?
23. Do Missionaries and Pracharaks make references to the Central or State Governments in India or to foreign Governments? If so, what is the nature, of such references, Please give specific instances.
24. Are there any non-Christian agencies, in your district, engaged in the work of reconversion? If so, please name them. What are their methods, and what success do they meet with? Do they offer any inducements? If so, What?
SOCIAL RELATIONS
25. Have the relations between Christians and non-Christians, in your district, deteriorated in any way since 1947? Do you apprehend any breach of peace because of this?
26. Have there been cases of social boycott by Christians against non-Christians, or vice versa. in your district?
27. Are there any political parties or other parties of a quasi-political and religious character, in your district, whose office-bearers are Christians?
28. Are such office-bearers given directions and advice by foreign Missionaries?
29. Do you know of instances of foreign Missionaries taking part in activities other than religious and social?
30. What was the attitude of Government servants towards complaints made by Christians against non-Christians, or vice versa? Do Government servants harass Christians or non-Christians for following their particular religions? State instances, if any.
31. What is the percentage of Christians and non-Christians in any political organisation that you know of in your district?
32. Have conversions to Christianity brought about any betterment in the standards of living of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes?
33. Have any noticed any improvement in the moral level of converts to Christianity?
34. Do you know of any cases of Missionaries destroying or desecrating non-Christian places of worship or burial-grounds? Please state specific instances, if any.
35. What were the consequences of such acts in the relations between Christians and non-Christians? Were such cases reported to the local authorities? What action was taken?
36. What has been the attitude of Christian Missions to National Reconstruction efforts? Have they welcomed, or co-operated with, the work of organisations like the Harijan Seva Sangh and the Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust?
37. Have the Missions contributed, or encouraged their converts to contribute, to national welfare schemes or funds for relief in national calamities?
38. Have Christian Missionaries taken over, or attempted to take over, common lands, such as lands used for cattle-grazing or cattle resting-places, for purposes other than those for which they were meant?
39. What are the Missionaries doing to identify themselves with the Indian people?
40. Do converts to Christianity tend to form a distinct communal group, indifferent or hostile to Indian traditions and culture, and with affinity towards foreign culture?
41. Do converts to Christianity give up all their ancestral, religious and social customs and adopt new ones, or do they continue their old practices, such as, worship of Gram Devatas and ancient marriage rites, even after conversion to Christianity? Please give instances.
42. Do you consider any of the activities of Christian Missionaries to be detrimental to the interests of the Nation? If so, which and why?
MISSIONS
43. What are the Missions working in your district? Since when have they been functioning?
44. Has there been any increase in the number of foreign Missionaries in your district since 1947?
45. What are the assets and liabilities of the different Missions in your district?
46. How many Indian Missionaries are working in your district and hose, many foreigners? Please mention the nationalities of the foreign Missionaries.
47. What are the educational qualifications of the Missionaries and what was their station in life before joining the Mission? What was their income before and what is it now?
48. How many of the Indian Missionaries have had foreign training? How are they selected, and who bears the cost of training?
49. Have the Indian Missionaries equal status and authority with the foreign Missionaries?
50. What is the organisation of the Missions? Who has supreme authority over them?
51. How are the Missions financed? Do they have regular budgets and statements of accounts? Please furnish annual statements of accounts since 1947.
52. Are the accounts audited? If so, by whom?
53. How much financial aid has been received from abroad by the different Missions in your district annually since 1947?
54. Are any amounts being received for purposes other than the propagation of religion, for social uplift work? If so, how are such amounts spent? Are non-Christian associated with the organisation and execution of such humanitarian efforts, and do they get any benefit from them?
55. What sorts of literature, pamphlets, tracts, etc., are used for religious propaganda? Please supply specimen copies of these.
56. Are regular reports published of the achievements of the Missions? If so, please furnish copies of such reports since 1947.
57. What types of activities have the Missions undertaken in your district, such as-
(a) religious propaganda,
(b) running of institutions, like schools and hospitals, and
(c) other activities ?
Please indicate the nature of these activities and the results achieved by each of them?
58. Are there Mission courts in your district? If so, what is their constitution and rules of procedure? What punishments do they award and to whom?
59. Where do the Mission work in your district? Do they concentrate on areas populated by the Scheduled Castes and Tribes?
60. Please state the locations where the Missions are situated. Since when have they been functioning there, and what are the means of communications to such places? Are these means of communications available all the year round?
61. Are there any Government officials posted at such places? Please give their designations. How frequently does a Government officer visit these place in a year?
62. Are meetings of Missionary workers held at periodical intervals? Are the proceedings of such meetings made known to members of the general public?
63. Are particular areas allotted to particular Missions, or do they encroach on one another�s spheres of influence?
64. Have Missionary activities increased, or been intensified, in your district, since 1947? If so, how and to what extent?
65. Have you come across cases of Mass Conversions ? If so, what were the incentives and methods used?
66. What interest have Missionaries and Indian Christians shown in the work of the States Reorganisation Commission?
67. Have the Mission taken part in Indian politics and elections? Have they supported any political party? If so, which and since when?
68. Do Missionaries undertake such works as recruitment of labour for the Tea Gardens in Assam? Do they receive any commission for this? Do they undertake remittances of salaries of labourers to their dependants? If so, on what basis do they do this?
HOSPITALS
69. Is there any Mission Hospital in your district? Of what kind is it?
70. Is admission to all in it, or is there any criterion of income, religion, etc., for admission?
71. Is treatment in hospital used as a means of conversion? Do you know of cases of non-Christian patients being converted to Christianity as the result of treatment in hospitals? If so, cite names and manner of inducement offered?
72. Are patients obliged to take part in Christian prayers and other religious exercises? Are favours shown to those who attend prayers? Are there Christian Pracharaks employed in the hospital?
73. Please state instances, if any, where patients were not allowed to read their own religious books, when they wanted to on other than medical grounds. Are books of any particular religion distributed free among patients?
74. Give the names and nationalities of members of the medical staff. What are their scales of pay? Since how long have they been working in their present posts?
75. Who constitute the Managing Body of the Hospital? State their religions and nationalities.
76. Are any members of the staff prohibited from following their own religion because of their service in the hospital?
77. What medicines are generally kept by the Missionaries in their smaller dispensaries? How many of these are licensed being poisonous? Who administers them?
SCHOOLS
78. What schools do the Missions run in your district?
79. Is there any discrimination shown by Government officers in regard to Christian and non-Christian schools ? Please state specific instances.
80. What is the strength of the Mission school in your district? How many of the students are Christian and how many non-Christian?
81. Do you know cases of non-Christian students becoming Christian as the result of attendance in Christian schools? If so, how does it happen with the knowledge and consent of parents or otherwise?
82. What is the procedure of recording names of students in school registers? Do you know of cases of students being shown as following a religion other than the one to which they or their parents belonged at the time of admission? Cite specific instances.
83. What fees are charged in the school? What scholarships and freeships are offered? Is the offer of a freeship used as an inducement to students of their parents to change their religion? Give specific instances, if any.
84. Is religious instruction given in the school? If so, of what kind and is it compulsory?
85. Is any provision made for teaching religions other than Christianity to non-Christian children?
86. What kind of moral instruction, if any, is given? Furnish copies of moral instruction syllabus.
87. Are there non-Christians on the staff of the school? Is any pressure brought to bear on the members of the staff to change their religion? Do you know of any case where discriminatory action was taken against a member of the staff on religious grounds?
88. What holidays are given in the school?
89. Are days of national importance celebrated in the school? What kind of celebrations are held ?
90. Are any dramas or plays staged in the school, which bring into contempt non-Christian religions and deities? Give exact reports of such performances. If actual copies of them cannot be had.
91. Is there a Mission hostel or boarding-house in your district? Is admission open to all in them? Are there fees charged?
92. Is attendance at religious exercises compulsory for the inmates of these bearding-houses? Have there been cases of children being converted to Christianity by staying in such boarding-houses? Cite specific instances.
REMEDIES
93. Do you consider any of the activities of Christian Missions objectionable? If so, which and why? What remedies have you to suggest?
94. Does change of religion necessarily imply change of culture?
95. Do you think that in a Secular State, all religious teaching should be eliminated in education? Or have you any alternative to Sectarian religious teaching?
96. Are not the consolations of religion aids to recovery of patients? If so, would you cut all religious practices from hospitals? Have you. any alternative to Missionary propaganda in hospitals?
97. The State being secular, has it any right to interfere with the methods of propagation of any particular faith? Do you think that if other religions showed the same zeal and enthusiasm as Christian Missions, there would be unpleasant consequences?
98. Do you think that the different religions in the land can co-exist peacefully and co-operate in realizing a just order of society? If so, on what basis?
99. Do you wish to appear before the Committee to give further evidence orally?
