In some areas of India, Christians live in fear due to a lack of political will to end anti-Christian violence and police complicity in crime, says Sajan George, President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), who spoke to AsiaNews about the recent anti-Christian attacks that took place on February 8, 9 and 10 in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The worst attack happened on Friday in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh. At least 100 members of the Hindu nationalist groups Bajrang Dal, Rashtritya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stormed a church where a Pentecostal church, the Indian Christian Mission, was holding a three-day prayer meeting (from February 7-9).
The attackers beat the believers with iron bars and accused them of forced conversions. More than 30 people ended up in hospital with serious injuries. After treatment, the injured were asked to leave the hospital because the staff feared that the Hindu fundamentalists would attack.
Those who were not injured reported the attack to the police, but the police refused their request and instead filed a report against the church and its members.
On Saturday, a group of Hindu extremists attacked two pastors of a Pentecostal church in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh, during a prayer meeting. The victims, Pastor Jorder and Pastor Ilam, were taken to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. In this case too, the police refused to file a report on the incident and instead claimed that the church where the meeting was held was not registered for religious use.
The latest attack took place on Sunday in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Members of the Hindu Vahini group, a local Hindu nationalist organization, accused a Christian man named Anand Rao of forced conversions. He had come to give a lecture on the Bible.
Without investigating the charges, the police charged the man and took him into custody. He was released on bail the following day.
"Now that Lent has begun, Christians will meet regularly to pray or celebrate Mass, both publicly and privately. For this reason, they should be under protection," said GCIC President Sajan George.
However, attacks of this kind "show that not only religious freedom and tolerance, but also the rule of law are at risk," he added.
Source: AsiaNews
