New Delhi — Even as Narendra Modi government faces criticism for the attacks on churches and Christian institutions during its 10-month rule, crime records from the UPA era reveal that not only were there a matching number of such attacks between May 2013 and March 2014 but also 50% of those cases still remain unsolved.
According to a secret report accessed by The Times of India, there were 10 cases of so-called anti-Christian attacks between May 26, 2013 and March 31, 2014, when UPA was in power. While nine were instances of church vandalization, one related to a pastor’s murder. Of these 10 cases reported from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, five remain undetected while in four cases, 16 persons were arrested. An unsound person was found to be responsible in one case.
In comparison, between installation of the Modi government on May 26, 2014 and March 31, 2015, 11 cases were reported. Of these, six incidents relate to Delhi and one each to West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Kerala and Haryana. In two separate cases of fire at a church in East Delhi and Rohini, a short-circuit was found be the cause. The Jasola church attack, in which a windowpane was damaged, has been blamed on an unintentional throwing of a stone by a boy. Four cases (relating to vandalization of churches in Vikaspuri, Hisar, Jabalpur and Navi Mumbai) have been investigated, leading to arrest of 14 persons. Two of three cases have not yet been solved and are suspected to be that of burglary.
As for the March 13 rape of a 71-year-old nun at a convent in Nadia, which evoked angry reactions from church leaders, the police have claimed that the case has been solved with the arrest of a Bangladeshi, Mohammad Salim Sheikh, and another accused, Gopal Sarkar. Four others, all Bangladeshi nationals, have since escaped to Bangladesh.
The comparative data cited in the report is certain to generate controversy and escalate tensions between BJP and its opponents.
Among the cases of alleged desecration of Christian institutions reported over the 10 corresponding months of UPA regime, four related to Tamil Nadu. In three cases of vandalization relating to a school in Tirunelveli, a church in Rameshwaram and Bethel church in Kannampalayan, cases were registered under Section 153A and Section 506(ii) of IPC. Two cases are still pending, while five arrests were made in another. The Trichy attack was, however, attributed by the cops to an unsound person, who was later released on humanitarian grounds.
In one of the most serious attacks, a pastor was fatally attacked in January 2014 in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana. Seven accused, all Hindu Vahini sympathizers, were arrested and later released on bail. The incident was widely condemned by Christian organizations.
In Kerala, a convention center at a church in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta was attacked on January 22, 2014. Two persons were arrested but later released on bail.
The glass cover of a Mother Mary statue at Loretta Padav in Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka was damaged by miscreants in October 2013. The case was closed on March 15, 2015. A similar case relating to vandalization of a statue of Jesus in Mumbai on December 14/15, 2013 is yet to be solved.
Two cases under UPA government related to damage to under-construction churches at Hyderabad and Kandhamal. While the Andhra case has been closed due to lack of evidence, two Hindus were arrested for the attack at Kandhamal. They were later bailed out and the case closed.