ICC Note: Part of a church in India’s Tamil Nadu state was demolished to make room for a road widening project. Christians of Emmanuel Church in Chennai have protested against this demolition and say it is another instance of anti-Christian discrimination. According to news sources, a local court is still to announce a verdict on the demolition of the church.
08/09/2018 India (World Watch Monitor) – Part of a Protestant church in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has been demolished to make way for a wider road, despite the local court being yet to announce its verdict on the proposal, Asia News reports.
A wing of the Emmanuel Church, which belongs to the Church of South India, and some adjacent houses were included in the area proposed for development by local authorities. On 2 August, builders sent by Tamil Nadu’s Department of Public Works arrived in the Anna Nagar district of Chennai with bulldozers, accompanied by policemen.
When they started the demolition, a group of Christians and local residents confronted the officials. The pastor told AsiaNews that the court had not yet issued an order for demolition.
“The church has been here for 50 years. The High Court of Madras [the old name for Chennai] still has to announce the verdict on the demolition, and instead the demolition has been carried out all the same,” Rev. Sam Raj Kumar said.
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