Issued on February 2, the government circular to senior police officials in the state seeks information regarding the number of Christians, where they live, the addresses and telephone numbers of their ``leaders and missionaries'', the vehicles they own and the licenced weapons they possess -- all of which look relevant from the security point of view.

However, among the 13 points listed in the circular are questions less innocent: Which missionaries are getting ``inspiration and funds'' from foreign countries, how they are usingthese funds, and ``what type of trickery'' they are employing in conversions. It also seeks information about Christians who are involved in criminal activities and have ``a criminal attitude''.

However, the government seems to have miscalculated the fallout of such a circular. Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya, while defending the survey, was forced to deny any government hand in it. ``There were no government instructions for it. The intelligence people collect all kind of information as and when necessary. They issued the circular to make arrangements for the security of Christians'', he said.

R.N. Bhattacharya, Additional DG (intelligence), refused to discuss the matter as it is in Gujarat High Court.

The police have already swung into action, targeting both individuals and institutions. Most reports have come in from Vadodara, where community leaders have advised their parish members not to divulge information. Father Wilson of the city's Don Bosco Church said a police team had visitedrecently and, armed with an `official order', made inquiries about Christians. The subjects, Fr Wilson said, ranged from the number of people who visited the church, the number of Christians staying in the area, whether there were Christian colonies, how many Christians held gun licences and whether they received funding support. On Saturday, a senior M S University professor received a call from someone who identified himself as someone from the local police station.

Then followed a rapid-fire series of questions -- how many years he had been teaching, whether his wife was employed, how many children they had, where they were studying, income details for self and wife, whether they were supporting anyone else. When the professor asked him the reason behind such questions, the caller said he had been instructed to do so.

The warden at university's Hansa Mehta girls' hostel said he received three phone calls from local guardians of inmates saying they had received calls seeking such information but hadredirected these calls to the warden.

Such incidents have created a fear psychosis among members of the community.

And led to at least one embarrassing situation. Cherian Thomas, this paper's staff photographer in Vadodara had a plainclothesman visit his house on Saturday morning and tell his wife that Cherian should report to the local police station.

Thomas, unsure of why he had been called but certain it was in connection with the `census', went at the appointed time and was told he must answer questions for a no-objection certificate.

During a two-hour scene at the police station that resembled something out of Marx Brothers, Thomas said he hadn't applied for anything that needed an NOC and the police insisted that, though they didn't know what it was for, he must answer the questions. He refused, suspicions of the police's intentions mounted and doubts were cleared only the next morning when he learnt the affair was in connection with an accreditation card!

A number of former top policeofficials have slammed the decision and the way it was being implemented.

The circular, they say, has been ``crudely worded'', and the manner in which Christians were being questioned is ``highly objectionable''. The bit about `criminal attitude' caused most distress. ``It is highly objectionable. it shows a biased mind. A criminal is a criminal, whether Hindu, Muslim or Christian'', remarked former DGP Shiv Lal. Another former DGP, PGJ Namboodiri, said, ``I haven't seen such a circular in my career''.

And a third ex-DGP M.M. Singh said, ``I wouldn't have allowed such a circular to go out.''

(With inputs from IE reporters, Vadodara)