ICC Note
There has been a recent surge of attacks against Christians all over India , and Christians continue to be at-risk to violence from radical Hindu groups.
Indian church groups urge curb on anti-Christian violence
By Anto Akkara
Ecumenical News International
To read the full story, click here: Indian Church Groups Urge Curb on Anti-Christian Violence
Following several attacks on Christian targets in January, church groups have appealed to India ‘s federal government “to curb and contain hate campaigns and violence” against the country’s minuscule Christian community.
“Urgent steps need to be taken to restore confidence and check the violence,” pleaded the ecumenical All India Christian Council (AICC) and the All India Catholic Union (AICU) in a joint statement to federal interior minister, Shivraj Patil, on 31 January.
The latest attack took place on 29 January when Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai went to open a hostel for Hindu students in Maharashtra state, in a remote region referred to locally as a “tribal area”. Villagers chased the assailants away but not before two people, including a priest were injured, while the hostel building and vehicles were damaged.
“The reason for this attack has been the same old one – [allegations of] conversion,” Bishop Dabre told Ecumenical News International from Vasai. He asserted, however, that the attackers in the remote village had been misinformed that “the fathers [clerics] were coming to convert them”.
To read the full story, click here: Indian Church Groups Urge Curb on Anti-Christian Violence
