Amritsar: A Protestant diocese in northern India organized a motorbike rally to promote what it says is a new India where women are respected and people of all religions lived in harmony.

A team of 43 motorcyclists took part in the 12-day peace rally between Amritsar in Punjab and Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Church of North India diocese organized a thanksgiving prayer at Christ Church in the Ram Bagh area by the parishioners of Christ Church, St. Paul’s Church and Epiphany Church, Chheharta.

”Cutting across the narrow boundaries of castes, religions and regions, let’s come together and build a new India in which all sections of society, especially the women, are given due recognition under a transparent system,” Bishop Pradeep Samantaroy of Amritsar said at the prayer program.

Present on the occasion were Revered Detlev Knokhe, Peter Nose, Mathias Fadas and Folcard Guth from Germany and Reverend David Riacard from Australia along with a group from Chhattisgarh diocese in central India. They all promised to start such a movement in their countries and states.

O P Soni, a legislator who attended the prayer, commended the bishop and the Church for the initiative. On behalf of the Punjab Government, he promised to extend all support to the noble cause. He also announced 200,000 rupees for the cause.

(Source: Tribune News Service)