By Matters India Reporter
Indore: A group of Hindu hardliners on January 26 stormed a Catholic media center in the central Indian city of Indore for allegedly conducting religious conversion program.
“By 6 pm, the premises were completely free of the trouble makers and it’s peaceful now,” says a message from Divine Word Father Babu Joseph, director of Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra (Center for the Light of Truth).
Father Joseph, who was a former public relations officer of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, says things were brought under control with the presence of the police.
Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra, a regional media center, is managed by the Indore province of the Divine Word Society. It broadcast on YouTube channel Radio Veritas Hindi programs, besides training in media and media related masters.
Narrating the day’s incidents, Father Joseph said a group of people were holding their prayer service at the center. “This is nothing new as Satprakashan has been giving its space for conducting meetings, training programs and prayers,” the priest explained.
The January 26 program was just one such programs. “But for reasons we do not yet know someone informed the Hindu hardline groups that religious conversion is going on. And immediately crowds gathered at the premises of Satprakashan and created a commotion.” Father Joseph narrated.
Since January 26, India’s Republic Day, is a holiday all priests at the center had gone out when the attack occurred.
“As soon as we received the news of the commotion we contacted the police and they sent the force immediately.” Father Joseph’s message explained.
On their return to the center, the priest were given police protection. “We gave our statement to them,” the director added.
The police have registered the First Information Report against 15 people who led the commotion. “Fortunately the trouble makers didn’t cause any damage except for pulling down a few photographs from the wall,” Father Joseph’s message to the center’s friends and supporters.
Indore is the most populous and the largest city in Madhya Pradesh state. It also functions as the financial capital of the state.
It is also considered as the state’s education hub as it has campuses of both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management.