Christians who participated in a peaceful protest on Thursday morning against the recent acts of vandalism at five churches in New Delhi have expressed dismay at being detained by the police, even as the authorities have failed to protect their shrines.
The police said that 350 people had been detained for unlawful assembly in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gol Dak Khana in the heart of the capital. No charges were brought against them. The protestors had intended to march to the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
"Anyone with a placard and outside the Cathedral gate was arrested and detained at Parliament Street police station," said media professional Merril Diniz, who was among the participants. "The policemen were very adamant. They were detaining people without merit until they [the demonstrators] dispersed."
The procession aimed to highlight the spate of attacks on churches in Delhi. Five churches in the capital have been vandalised over the past nine weeks. The latest attack occurred at around 3 am on Monday, when unidentified men entered and ransacked St Alphonsa's church in the Vasant Kunj area.
"Somebody is trying to target the Christian community," John Dayal, former president of the All India Catholic Union, told IANS. "Since this is election time, it has another dimension." Delhi goes to the polls to elect a new assembly on Saturday.
Christians across the country have also been alarmed by the gharwapasi programme launched by organisations associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party that aim to convert members of minority communities to Hinduism.
On Thursday, the protestors were especially upset at the manner in which they were treated by the authorities. "Various people were manhandled and dragged into the buses," said Stanley Rego, a marketing professional who was at the scene. "Literally dragged. Five to eight nuns were taken along with the entire crew while young people by the drove were taken into the buses."
Senior police officer Mukesh Kumar Meena told NDTV that the protestors lacked permission to protest on the road. "They can't just march to the home minister's residence," he said. "We have to protect the residence of VIPs."
However, the home minister did hold a meeting with a delegation of Christians in the afternoon. Rajnath Singh said that he had spoken to the city police about the attacks and promised an independent investigation into the incidents.
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The police said that 350 people had been detained for unlawful assembly in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gol Dak Khana in the heart of the capital. No charges were brought against them. The protestors had intended to march to the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
"Anyone with a placard and outside the Cathedral gate was arrested and detained at Parliament Street police station," said media professional Merril Diniz, who was among the participants. "The policemen were very adamant. They were detaining people without merit until they [the demonstrators] dispersed."
The procession aimed to highlight the spate of attacks on churches in Delhi. Five churches in the capital have been vandalised over the past nine weeks. The latest attack occurred at around 3 am on Monday, when unidentified men entered and ransacked St Alphonsa's church in the Vasant Kunj area.
"Somebody is trying to target the Christian community," John Dayal, former president of the All India Catholic Union, told IANS. "Since this is election time, it has another dimension." Delhi goes to the polls to elect a new assembly on Saturday.
Christians across the country have also been alarmed by the gharwapasi programme launched by organisations associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party that aim to convert members of minority communities to Hinduism.
Photo credit: Merill Diniz and Stanley Rego
On Thursday, the protestors were especially upset at the manner in which they were treated by the authorities. "Various people were manhandled and dragged into the buses," said Stanley Rego, a marketing professional who was at the scene. "Literally dragged. Five to eight nuns were taken along with the entire crew while young people by the drove were taken into the buses."
Senior police officer Mukesh Kumar Meena told NDTV that the protestors lacked permission to protest on the road. "They can't just march to the home minister's residence," he said. "We have to protect the residence of VIPs."
However, the home minister did hold a meeting with a delegation of Christians in the afternoon. Rajnath Singh said that he had spoken to the city police about the attacks and promised an independent investigation into the incidents.
Met with a group of leaders from Christian community today who were concerned over the reports of attacks on churches pic.twitter.com/fTyBCnhArV
— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) February 5, 2015
Photo credits: Merill Diniz and Stanley Rego