BHOPAL (UCAN): More than a hundred Hindu extremists attacked a prayer gathering inside the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra media centre in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh state, on January 26. The mob barged in hailing the Hindu god, Ram, and shouting, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Victory to Mother India).
They alleged that the centre was holding mass religious conversions and sought action against its officials under a newly enacted state law to check religious conversion.
However, Catholic authorities denied the allegations and described it as an organised attack to terrorise Christians who had peacefully gathered there for their routine prayers.
“We used to give our space in the centre to different Christian denominations, including Pentecostal groups, for prayer meetings. On January 26 too, we gave it to a Pentecostal group for holding their prayer service,” Father Babu Joseph, the centre’s director, explained.
The Society of the Divine Word runs the centre to train religious and others in social communications and media. It also runs several Hindi and English social media channels and works to produce Hindi programmes for Radio Veritas.
“Since it was a sudden attack, everyone got scared,” Father Joseph said on January 27, adding that the attackers did not injure anyone but damaged a few glass photo frames on the wall.
The resident priests were out at the time of the assault but soon found out and called the police who subsequently came and removed the intruders. Around 15 people where charges, including trespassing, and an investigation was launched.
Hindu extremists accused the Christians at the centre of violating a stringent new anti-conversion law, However police did not confirm whether they would file a case. A senior official, however, said they were “looking into the allegations.”
On January 9, the government of Madhya Pradesh issued a new ordinance to check religious conversion stipulating jail sentences of up to 10 years and a fine for offenders.
However, the new law allows the reconversion of non-Hindus to Hinduism. Leaders of the state government contend that Hinduism is the parental religion of religious minorities in the country such as Christians and Muslims.
Father Maria Stephen, public relations officer for the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, sought action against those involved in the attack.
“The attack seems to be fallout from the new anti-conversion law notified by the government very recently and it terrorised the Christians,” Father Stephen said on January 27.
Christian leaders say the one-sided law aims to harass religious minorities.
“Under the new law, the onus of proving an allegation of conversion against a person is on the accused, not on the accuser,” Father Stephen said.
“When such a one-sided law is there, anybody who has a grudge against a minority community can misuse the law and the innocent person will bear the brunt.”
Madhya Pradesh is among several states where Christians face violence and harassment at the hands of Hindu radicals.
