Christian
communities are now more frequently targeted for violence. In Delhi, in less than two months five Church
buildings have been vandalized or burnt down.
The police have not solved most of the cases and it has created a sense of
fear among the Christian Community in India.
The
Christian community had peaceful protest in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral on
5th February, 2015 against Government inaction on Church attacks.
However, Protesters were dealt very roughly by the Delhi police. Many of the
priests, lay men and women, were dragged into police van and detained at the
Parliament street police station. Around 500 protesters were taken to the
Police station. The police was not even
allowing them to protest inside the Church and not allowing protesters to meet
the media.
Later,
the Christian leaders met the Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh and
demanded that the Government take urgent and effective measures to restore the
Rule of Law, curb the acts of targeted and communal violence. The guilty must be traced, and action under the law should be taken. Police officers must be held
accountable for communal crimes in their jurisdiction. In Delhi, a special
investigating team should be set up to investigate the five acts of violence
against the Catholic Churches monitored by the High Court of Delhi.
The
Home Minister assured that he would not tolerate any discrimination. He
promised an independent investigation into the Church attacks and he has asked
the police to ensure the security of Churches and other places of worship.
Samuel
Jayakumar
Executive
Secretary
Commission on Policy, Governance and Public Witness - NCCI
