E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1 Page 33 Moreover, all the legal and practical aspects of this complex issue were at the time of the reply being examined, so Mr. Petromelidis - and probably others in a similar situation - would be given a second chance under the law to perform alternative service and thus have the charges of military offences having been committed withdrawn. India 129. On 15 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur transmitted a communication to the Government of India regarding the following cases: (a) Fr. Stanny Ferreira, a Salesian parish priest of Alirajpur, was reportedly attacked and severely beaten by a crowd on 17 January 2004. Fr. Ferreira was reportedly returning by car from Jhabua when his vehicle was shot at and the driver lost control and hit an electric pole. A crowd allegedly attacked the priest and beat him while the vehicle was set ablaze. The attack followed the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl who was found in the diocesan mission compound in Jhabua on 11 January 2004. It was reported that on 13 January 2004, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Sangh Parivar declared a day of protest, allegedly accusing Christians of the murder. It was alleged that groups related to the Sangh Parivar held processions in different towns during which effigies of the bishop and priests were burnt, slogans against Christianity were shouted, and inflammatory leaflets against Christianity were distributed. On 14 January, a large crowd allegedly entered the campus of the Catholic Mission School in Jhabua and several priests were beaten, and significant material damage was incurred. The occupants of the campus were reportedly evacuated. On 15 January 2004, a non-Christian individual who worked in an office near the church allegedly confessed to the murder; (b) On 16 January 2004, a crowd reportedly forcibly entered the premises of the Church of North India mission in the village of Amjut and distributed antiChristian material, disrupted exams and tore down religious posters. Inhabitants of the predominantly Christian village, many of whom are second- or third-generation Bhil converts, reportedly started throwing stones at the attackers, forcing them to flee. It was reported that, in retaliation, armed Hindu activists descended on the village and the ensuing clashes led to one death and several injured; (c) According to the information received, numerous Muslim men have been illegally detained since March 2003 in the Gayakwad Haveli Police Station in Ahmedabad. While it was reported that many of them have subsequently been formally arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, a large number of illegal detainees allegedly remained in custody in the police station. It was reported that a climate of fear was prevailing within the Muslim community in Gujarat, which meant that most were too afraid to make official complaints about illegal detention or about torture and ill-treatment. Courts reportedly failed to take action when confronted with allegations of illegal detention and torture. It was further alleged that the Prevention of Terrorism Act was being used arbitrarily and punitively against Muslims. It was reported that the police regularly threatened those illegally detained and their relatives that they would be charged under the Act if they failed to cooperate or made complaints about their treatment to the courts or to human rights organizations.