Angry over a spate of "attacks" on churches, members of the Christian community on Thursday staged a major protest in the city ahead of assembly polls, accusing the government of inaction and wondered why Prime Minister Modi was "silent" on the issue. Police detained over two hundred protesters from outside the Sacred Heart Cathe-dral in central Delhi when they tried to march towards the residence of home minister Rajnath Singh here.
A number of priest and elderly persons including women were picked up pol-ice and forced into buses. Some protesters, carrying pl-acards, squatted on the road demanding protection to the churches. "We have detained the protesters and they have been taken to Parliament Street police station. They did not have permission to protest outside the church and we cannot allow them to protest on public roads," police joint commissioner Mukesh Meena said.
Some protesters were critical of the PM saying he did not utter a single word on the "attacks" on churches.
"Why is the prime minister silent on the issue. We are very sorry and sad," said an elderly protester.
Father Savarimathu Sankar, spokesperson for the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, wondered why the administration has been "ineffective" and was not taking action against those allegedly involved in such "attacks".
"Modi claims to be a very strong PM. What happens when it comes to ground realities? When you are not being able to protect a small minuscule community, how are you going to protect the whole of India," he said.
In the fifth such incident since November, a church was allegedly vandalised by some unidentified persons earlier this week in South Delhi, sparking outrage among the Christian community which alleged that it is part of a "hate campaign".
Sankar said "We want justice and protection of our churches. We are not deman-ding it as Christians but as citizens of India."
"We have given representations to the President and the PM but there has been no follow up from their side. This is the fifth incident and it is apparent that the incidents were of communal nature," he said.
HM promises security, impartial probe
Home minister Rajnath Singh assured Christians that security at their religious places will be stepped up as he asserted that any discrimination on the basis of religion will not be tolerated.
He said an impartial inquiry has been ordered into the recent incidents as a delegation of Christian leaders met him to say that five churches were attacked in the last two and a half months in Delhi and holy relics and holy communion were destroyed but police was doing nothing.
The home minister told the delegation that the government would not tolerate any discrimination on the basis of caste, colour or religion, a home ministry official said.
Singh also instructed Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi to make proper arrangements for the security of churches and other places of worship, he said.
The delegation gave a memorandum to him demanding security for Christians and their places of worship. "Police has done nothing and they have described the incidents as simple theft, burglary and trespassing. We told the home minister that these were not simple incidents but attack on our religious places," said community leader John Dayal.
Jenis Francis, another community leader, said po-lice have been dismissive of the complaints lodg-ed by Christians about "targe-ted violence and persecution, both by political non-state actors and other elements". Francis said incidents of attacks on churches have increased in the last six months and dema-nded setting up of a team for probing the five incidents of violence against churches. He said the probe should be monitored by the Delhi HC.
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