New Delhi – Christians in India are asking the government for the protection of churches and safety, in view of the Easter celebrations. As reported, in a statement sent to Fides, the Global Council of Indian Christians , say that “protection is necessary during Holy Week”, given that “violence against individual Christians and churches continues unabated in different parts of India”.
In March 2016 the GCIC has recorded numerous attacks against Christians, such as the one against Pastor Keshava, brutally hit by militants of the Hindu extremist groups near Jaipura in Karnataka.
One recalls that a newly built church was vandalized in Coimbatore in Tamilnadu, while bibles and holy books were set on fire in front of the grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, built in Pune.”The community fears an organized attack against Christian faithful and churches during Holy Week.
As Christians, participating in the liturgies of the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask for protection and security for our defenseless community” writes the GCIC.
Christians in India are also concerned about the slow pace of the judicial system in pursuing the perpetrators of the attacks. Among the most recent incidents, on March 18 six Christians, including a four-year-old girl, were wounded in the village of Gopanpally in the state of Telangana, while peacefully participating in a prayer vigil in a Christian Pentecostal hall. The faithful were beaten and forced to flee, chased by a crowd of fanatics. The hall was devastated.