Hindu group attacks cathedral in central India: police

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

NEW DELHI - Indian police said Monday they have arrested six people after Hindu fundamentalists were shown vandalising a cathedral in central India, the latest attack on Christian establishments in the Hindu-majority country.
CCTV footage showed a group of men smashing plant pots, breaking down doors and shattering windows in the grounds of the cathedral in Madhya Pradesh state late Friday.
The right-wing Hindu Dharma Sena group had accused the church of converting around 200 people from local tribal groups to Christianity, although it denies causing any damage to church property.
"We arrested six men last night in connection with the vandalism. We are trying to identify more people... there may be more arrests," HC Mishra, a senior state police official, told AFP by telephone.
Religious conversions are highly controversial in India, a secular country where religious freedom is considered a fundamental right.
Critics say Hindu hardline groups have become emboldened since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in India last year.
The latest attack comes at a time of heightened sensitivity over religious freedom in India, where churches and a Christian school have been attacked in recent months.
Masked men on Saturday attacked a church in Mumbai, capital of western Maharashtra state, which like Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the BJP.
Earlier this month, an elderly nun was raped at a convent school in the eastern state of West Bengal, triggering protests across the country.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month pledged to crack down on religious violence and ensure freedom of worship for all faiths.
He had been criticised for not speaking out earlier.
India is 80 per cent Hindu while Muslims make up 13.4 per cent of the 1.2 billion population. Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and other religions account for the rest.
- See more at: Hindu group attacks cathedral in central India: police, AsiaOne Asia News

 

[SrNair]

You cant expect anything better than this from illietrate villagers if you challenge their beliefs for conversion.

 

[syedali73]

NEW DELHI - Indian police said Monday they have arrested six people after Hindu fundamentalists were shown vandalising a cathedral in central India, the latest attack on Christian establishments in the Hindu-majority country.
CCTV footage showed a group of men smashing plant pots, breaking down doors and shattering windows in the grounds of the cathedral in Madhya Pradesh state late Friday.
The right-wing Hindu Dharma Sena group had accused the church of converting around 200 people from local tribal groups to Christianity, although it denies causing any damage to church property.
"We arrested six men last night in connection with the vandalism. We are trying to identify more people... there may be more arrests," HC Mishra, a senior state police official, told AFP by telephone.
Religious conversions are highly controversial in India, a secular country where religious freedom is considered a fundamental right.
Critics say Hindu hardline groups have become emboldened since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in India last year.
The latest attack comes at a time of heightened sensitivity over religious freedom in India, where churches and a Christian school have been attacked in recent months.
Masked men on Saturday attacked a church in Mumbai, capital of western Maharashtra state, which like Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the BJP.
Earlier this month, an elderly nun was raped at a convent school in the eastern state of West Bengal, triggering protests across the country.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month pledged to crack down on religious violence and ensure freedom of worship for all faiths.
He had been criticised for not speaking out earlier.
India is 80 per cent Hindu while Muslims make up 13.4 per cent of the 1.2 billion population. Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and other religions account for the rest.
- See more at: Hindu group attacks cathedral in central India: police, AsiaOne Asia News

Sweet! It is getting better and better with every day that passes by.

 

[babbar]

Ban all conversion activity. Such utter stupidity and wastage of time and resources is a strain and an unnecessary source of friction.

Funny part if those who support conversion activity are those same people who keep railing about hindus wanting to convert people. Missionaries included. These people are no saints and must be stopped from spreading their snake oil.

 

[Kambojaric]

Ban all conversion activity

Isn't the hallmark of a secular state the fact that the state does not interfere in peoples personal religious affiliations and believes in freedom of religion. How can you ban conversions then? Unless of course you personally don't want India to be a secular state.

 

[Prajapati]

Already foreign funding is cut off.

Now its time to reclaim excess Church land and educational property. No more "religious" freebees.

 

[PlanetWarrior]

Already foreign funding is cut off.

Now its time to reclaim excess Church land and educational property. No more "religious" freebees.

And you mock the Pakistanis and their Mullahs

 

[babbar]

Isn't the hallmark of a secular state the fact that the state does not interfere in peoples personal religious affiliations and believes in freedom of religion. How can you ban conversions then? Unless of course you personally don't want India to be a secular state.

Banning all conversion activity is perfectly secular as it is not as per religious dogma but as per what is good for society. Your understanding of secularism is flawed. We can ban sati, child marriage, Four wives etc etc and be perfectly secular.

Also im not saying people can not follow the religion they want, im talking about wanting to convert others that leads to undesirable friction.

What is this irresistible itch to want to convert others???

 

[Prajapati]

And you mock the Pakistanis and their Mullahs

Nonsense.

I don't care a fcuk about pakistan or their mullas. Why would I waste my time mocking them ? That would be the "secular" like you.

 

[Bang Galore]

Sweet! It is getting better and better with every day that passes by.

Err....they are arrested....

Banning all conversion activity is perfectly secular as it is not as per religious dogma but as per what is good for society. Your understanding of secularism is flawed. We can ban sati, child marriage, Four wives etc etc and be perfectly secular.

Also im not saying people can not follow the religion they want, im talking about wanting to convert others that leads to undesirable friction.

What is this irresistible itch to want to convert others???

It may not be possible to completely ban conversions but I have always argued for clear regulation on conversions & limiting how proselytizing is done. This is a law & order issue & must be seen as such. People wishing to convert must have no problem submitting an affidavit saying so before a magistrate. Will certainly help the district administration in figuring out where possible flashpoints are.

 

[JOEY TRIBIANI]

Lolx aa gai modi sarkar . apnay asli rang ma

 

[Jobless Jack]

Banning all conversion activity is perfectly secular as it is not as per religious dogma but as per what is good for society. Your understanding of secularism is flawed. We can ban sati, child marriage, Four wives etc etc and be perfectly secular.

Also im not saying people can not follow the religion they want, im talking about wanting to convert others that leads to undesirable friction.

What is this irresistible itch to want to convert others???

what itch do you have if some one peacefully wants to convert to another religion ? religious freedom is part of secularism. and by not allowwing to convert someone means you are forcing them to stay/ follow their current religion. which is anti secular

in a religeious senitive place . one cant convert without from community

best policy or indians in general would be to just stop worrying about who is following what religion. you cant control people.

 

[Hindustani78]

Six arrested for vandalising church in MP - The Hindu

Church authorities allege that the accused stormed into the cathedral premises and a school. They broke earthen pots and shattered windows and charged Father Thankachan Jose of converting Hindus to Christianity. Here, Jabalpur Police personel visit St. Thomas School. Photo: Special arrangement.

Dharam Sena leader Yogesh Agrawal and his associates among those arrested
Six persons allegedly involved in vandalising a cathedral premises and a Catholic school, where people had gathered for a religious convention, were arrested Monday morning.

“We have arrested six persons involved in attacking the Catholic school and cathedral premises,” Jabalpur’s Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isha Pant told PTI. Those arrested have been identified as Dharam Sena leader Yogesh Agrawal and his associates Nitin Rajak, Prateek Pyasi, Anurag Choukse, Abhishek Choukse and Sharad Rao, the ASP said.

They have been booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 294 (punishment for obscene acts or words in public), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (mischief) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, besides other relevant sections, she said.

The incident took place on March 20 and in the early hours of March 21 when some members of the Christian community were allegedly assaulted and threatened by activists of Bajrang Dal and Dharam Sena, who attacked the school and a parsonage alleging that religious conversion had been taking place there.

The church authorities had alleged that the accused stormed into the Cathedral premises and a school housing a grotto with St Mary’s idol. They broke earthen pots and shattered glass panes of windows of the parsonage, charging Father Thankachan Jose with converting Hindus to Christianity. Ravi Francis, who claimed to be a witness, had earlier said that he was roughed up by Dharam Sena and Bajrang Dal activists, who had stormed into Saint Thomas School campus.

Though Fr Thankachan and police officials held talks with leaders of the Hindu outfits to ease the situation, some of them stormed into the premises and started abusing them, he alleged. Police sought to chase them from the campus, but they refused to give in and marched to the nearby Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral where the first day of the convention was held.

They then barged into the Cathedral premises shouting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and demanded that Fr Thankachan be handed over to them. As they could not find him there, they vandalised the parsonage close to the Cathedral, Mr. Francis said. “Though our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, it is being violated openly,” Fr Thankachan said. The church had given the CCTV footage of the incident to the police.

 

[babbar]

what itch do you have if some one peacefully wants to convert to another religion ? religious freedom is part of secularism. and by not allowwing to convert someone means you are forcing them to stay/ follow their current religion. which is anti secular

in a religeious senitive place . one cant convert without from community

best policy or indians in general would be to just stop worrying about who is following what religion. you cant control people.

Take english comprehension classes. I said people should be free to follow any religion they like. However you need to follow what you preach and stop worrying about who is following what religion and then try to convert them.

 

[flamer84]

Ban all conversion activity. Such utter stupidity and wastage of time and resources is a strain and an unnecessary source of friction.

Funny part if those who support conversion activity are those same people who keep railing about hindus wanting to convert people. Missionaries included. These people are no saints and must be stopped from spreading their snake oil.

If conversions aren't done at gun point,which they aren't,there is no legal ground to ban them.People can freely choose in what to believe as a higher being.You could try feeding Christians to the lions though,but that didn't pan out for the Romans either.