The demand comes
after a recent attack on a Christian prayer meeting.
Mumbai: A Catholic forum has urged
Maharashtra government to ensure safety of Christians in the state,
particularly in the Sindhudurg region.
“Hindutva fundamentalists are hyperactive in
the area, threatening Christians from attending prayer meetings,” said Joseph
Dias, president of the Catholic Secular Forum (CSF).
In a report to state chief minister Prithviraj
Chavan and Home Minister R R Patil, Dias expressed concern about the situation
after he undertook a fact-finding tour of the coastal area in the wake of the
Jan. 11 attack on 600 Christians attending a prayer meeting in Sawantwadi
Municipal Hall by the New Life Grace Ministry Church.
Permission for the prayer was taken and police
was also informed as the Christians were anticipating trouble.
In the middle of the worship a group of men
barged into the hall and disrupted the prayer meeting.
“The Hinduva fundamentalists abused and
threatened the Christian villagers. They then beat them
up,” Dias said.
The CSF suspects that fundamentalists active in
the Sanathan Sanstha and anti-minority political parties or forces are
responsible for such communal disturbances.
Dias said that in view of the communally
charged situation in the Sindudurg district, all prayer meetings are being held
under police protection and need police permission, which is a gross violation
of a Christian’s constitutional right to freedom of religion.
He alleged that police are mute spectators and
at times even appear to have “colluded with the attackers.”
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento