Attacks on churches and Christian institutions in India, which began on 1 December 2014, after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led govt came to power, continue unabated despite assurances from the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, and other officials. In the latest attack in Agra in Uttar Pradesh state, the historical city of Taj Mahal, about 300 kms from New Delhi, four statues of Mother Mary were broken and in one a dog chain was tied to her neck, in St Mary’s church.
Father Eugene Moon Lazarus, the parish priest, said in the wee hours on 16 April, he and three other priests were awaken by the anti-theft alarm of his car. “We saw the side door mirrors were broken and some people running out from the boundary when we raised alarm,” he said.
The priests also discovered four statues of Mother Mary broken. The head of Baby Jesus statue was broken and kept in the hands of Mother Mary’s statue. They also felt insulted after seeing a dog chain tied to the neck of Mother Mary’s human size statue, which could not be broken as it was made from fibreglass.
The incident coincides with the annual meeting of the Regional Bishops’ Council (ARBC) consisting of the Bishops from Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Rajasthan states, being held there.
Only two days ago, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told NDTV that most church attack cases had been resolved and none of the attackers were found to be Hindus.
Mr Modi, addressing UNESCO earlier, had said that his government was committed to defending the rights and liberties of all Indians.
In February, Mr Modi had told a Christian conference, “My government will not allow any group belonging to majority or minority to incite hatred against others.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) condemned “the sacrilegious acts” and urged state and federal governments to take swift and appropriate action to book the culprits and safeguard places of worship.
“The way the venerable statues were attacked and desecrated to bring maximum shame and disgrace on the venerable icons confirm that these were not just mere acts of vandalism, but well planned dastardly acts, aimed at deeply wounding the religious feelings and creating a feeling of insecurity among the minorities,” said CBCI spokesperson Monsignor Joseph Chinnayyan.
The sense of security of the minorities and the peace and harmony of all the citizens of India should not be allowed to be tampered upon by such fringe elements or insane minds, he added.
Meanwhile, a church leader, Fr Dominic Emmanuel, questioned the validity of Jaitly’s statement. “How can he make such statements? He may say the attacks are not communal, but how can he be so sure that they are not by the majority community? Is he suggesting minority communities are attacking Christians?” he said.
“I seriously suspect these attacks, including the one in Agra, are part of an anti-Christian campaign,” the priest said. He said the 93-year old parish church has no history of any sectarian tension. “People lived here peacefully. Even Hindus come and pray in the church,” he said. “It was such a friendly atmosphere that we did not even think of having a guard for the church,” he added.
Since December, at least six churches in Delhi have been vandalised and there have been scores of other anti-Christian attacks in India, including the rape of an elderly nun. Christian leaders say the incidents were hate crimes by Hindu fanatics.
