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Christians Protest Violence as Church Burning Hits New

Delhi, India

Government under increasing pressure as impunity for assailants continues.

December 9, 2014 By Our India Correspondent - 1 Comment 

Christians protest on Dec. 2 after the burning of the interior of St. Sebastian’s Church in New Delhi on Dec. 1.

(Morning Star News)

(Morning Star News) – Christians in New Delhi, unaccustomed to religious hostilities more common in

remote areas, erupted in protest as violence hit the capital last week.

Church leaders wrote to national officials as the Advent season brought three disturbing incidents,including an apparent arson attempt. The interior of one of the larger church buildings in the

 Archdiocese of Delhi, St. Sebastian’s Church in the Dilshad Garden area of New Delhi, was found

charred on the morning of Dec. 1.

“The church was discovered burnt in the early hours of Monday morning,” said Dr. John Dayal,

secretary general of the All India Christian Council. “The congregation of the church worshipped in the

building the previous Sunday, welcoming the season of Advent.”

The entire interior of the church building, including the altar, a Bible and a cross, were reduced to

ashes.

“Normally, in churches, there is a distance of about 20 feet between the altar and the pews, but theentire area was burnt,” said the Rev. Vijayesh Lal, national director of the Religious Liberty

Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. “The burning is so thorough that nothing remains

except the outer structure. This could not have been done except by design. Plus there was

reportedly the stench of kerosene sensed all over the church. Foul play cannot be ruled out.”

Christian leaders said police response was lax. Attorney Jenis Francis, president of the Federation of

Catholic Associations of Delhi, told media that the Station House Officer (SHO) of Dilshad Garden

police station was dismissive.

“The SHO didn’t record any statements of the people present, and before we could press for more

details, he went away,” Francis said. “The ACP [Assistant Commissioner of Police] later declared thatit was not a short circuit, but indeed, clearly a case of mischief.”

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 A makeshift protest immediately materialized near the building, with more than 3,000 people in

attendance by evening; they stayed late into the night in a candlelight vigil.

 Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as to

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, calling on them to urgently order a judicial enquiry.

“The arson in St. Sebastian’s church was condemnable not just because it was an act of sacrilege

and hate against the community and its faith, but that it could happen in the national capital which is

 just recovering from a series of communal incidents,” Cuoto wrote.

Christians from various denominations and others took to the streets on Dec. 2 to protest the burning.

More than 5,000 people surrounded police headquarters near ITO Square, blocking traffic during

peak hours, as a sign of protest and anguish. The protestors sang hymns and chanted, “We want

Justice” as a delegation of Christian leaders met the commissioner of Delhi.

Later a delegation of Christian leaders also met the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, who assured

the delegation of “zero tolerance against targeted and communal violence in the national capital.”

The Delhi Catholic Archdiocese later that day issued a statement: “The burning of the church has

created a sense of insecurity, and the government has to show by its action that it is concerned and

will ensure security of all minorities in their motherland, especially the small Christian community

which has been living peacefully for 2,000 years.”

The Delhi government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Joint Commissioner of

Police Ravindra Yadav. Home Minister Singh told the Lower House of Parliament that the SIT will

release its report within two months.

 As protesters surrounded police headquarters on Dec. 2, a Roman Catholic convent in the Rohini

area of New Delhi reported a break-in. Closed Circuit TV camera’s captured four men breaking into

the convent around midnight on Dec. 2, according to the report.

No damage was reported, but the convent staff alerted police.

On Saturday (Dec. 6) in the Jasola area of New Delhi, unidentified people pelted Our Lady of Fatema

Church with stones during mass at about 6 p.m., damaging windows and causing the Syro-Malabar

Catholic congregation to rush out in alarm.

 A member told media that after the Dilshad Garden church fire the congregation felt especially

threatened, and Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of the Faridabad-Delhi Syro-Malabar

Catholic Diocese reportedly said that although no one was injured, parishioners were “anxious.”

Police registered a First Information Report against unknown persons.

Protests in Other States 

Christians in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab states last week held demonstrations

protesting atrocities in India. The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum organized a protest on Wednesday

(Dec. 3) and submitted memorandum to the Raipur Collector demanding judicial enquiries into

violence against Christians in that state and in other parts of India.

The United Christian Welfare Association of India held a rally in Bhatinda, Punjab and stopped a train

in protest against anti-Christian violence throughout the country; it also submitted a memorandum to

the designated collector.

Earlier, Christian leaders in Nagaland had met Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the state on

Nov. 30.

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“We are deeply concerned about the continued violence and atrocities against Christians in different

parts of India,” the leaders wrote. “We are deeply pained to see our brothers and sisters targeted for

no fault of theirs.”

The letter, signed by most major Christian denominations in the state of Nagaland, noted that in many

states, Christians are deprived of their fundamental right to freedom of religion and practice of faith.

“The psychological damage done to the Christian brothers and sisters from time to time is very grave,”

the leaders wrote. “We earnestly appeal that Your Honour takes up prompt action in such a way as to

create tranquillity and render maximum protection to the Christians in India.”

 According to reports from Christian leaders, the prime minister showed deep concern and gave

assurance that he would “look into the matter.”

The protests follow two incidents in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, where Hindu extremist mobs

disrupted two separate Sunday worship services on Nov. 30.

Some 35 to 40 extremists attacked a church led by pastor Gopal Dhurve around 11 a.m., while

another mob attacked a nearby house church led by pastor Shyam Lal Khande at around 1 p.m. The

Hindu extremists pulled and beat women who sustained injuries.

First Information Reports have been filed in both cases, and the Christians have asked for protection.

“The incidents in Delhi have to be seen as part of a larger picture,” said Lal of the EFI’s Religious

Liberty Commission. “Christians in Bastar, Chhattisgarh have been denied food, beaten up, and

Christian worship and activities in the area have been stopped, in more than 50 villages, through

frivolous regulations which are essentially ultra vires and contrary to spirit of the constitution of India.”

 At the same time, he added, Christians in Madhya Pradesh have been attacked, falsely accused and

targeted in Anuppur, Indore, Bhopal and Barwani.

“There are also reports from Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, where Christians have

been targeted,” he said. “The happenings in Delhi are simply a continuation of the violence against

Christians carried out with impunity by certain groups who are emboldened by the silence of the

present government on the issue of violence against minorities.” 

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