Indian Christians Attacked in Prayer Meetings by Hindu Extremists

Christians in Bhopal are protesting recent attacks their prayer meetings by Hindu extremists, including Saturday's violence that killed one and injured others. Christians in Bhopal, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, took to the streets in a manifestation on Sunday, Eglises d'Asie, agency of the foreign missions of Paris, reported Tuesday.

BHOPAL, India  (Zenit.org) - Christians in Bhopal are protesting recent attacks their prayer meetings by Hindu extremists, including Saturday's violence that killed one and injured others. Christians in Bhopal, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, took to the streets in a manifestation on Sunday, Eglises d'Asie, agency of the foreign missions of Paris, reported Tuesday.
 
The day before, on Saturday afternoon, a group of Protestants was attacked during a prayer meeting by 30 men, who had their faces covered with saffron-colored cloths. The attackers interrupted a prayer meeting being held in the town of Saliya and beat the more than 400 faithful participants. The Christians were singing a hymn with their eyes closed when the assailants entered and began beating them, accusing them of causing forced conversions, the news agency reported.
 
Before disappearing, the attackers destroyed the liturgical material, Bibles and vehicles of the Christians.
 
When fleeing in the darkness, a 25-year-old man, Amit Gilbert, died by falling into an open well and drowning. Three more people were seriously wounded, one of whom has a fractured spinal column.
 
The police arrested seven people after the assault, though there is no information on the identity of the aggressors. Stadium violence
 
This is the second attack, in two days, on a Christian prayer meeting in Madhya Pradesh.
 
Last week, a thousand Christians gathered for an April 13-15 evangelical meeting in the large stadium of the city of Balaghat. Hindu militants, after several failed attempts to enter the stadium, threw a Molotov cocktail into the gathering. Fortunately, no deaths were reported.
 
On the last day of the meeting, a group of some 200 militant Hindus, identified by the forces as belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- the Indian People's Party, associated with Hindu nationalism --and to the Bajrang Dal -- another Hindu organization -- tried to enter the stadium again.
 
The police were able to restrain them, and arrested 22 of the group who had attacked the officers themselves with stones.
 
Despite this, at the end of the meeting, when the Christians were leaving the stadium, the aggressors attacked them, leaving many wounded.
 
The incident obliged the police to provide protection for the churches and priests of the whole region. Duty to protect
 
On April 15, the Catholic archbishop of Bhopal, Archbishop Leo Cornelio, reminded the government in a press conference of its "duty to protect all citizens, regardless of cast, religion, or other type."
 
He also pointed out that violence against Christians has increased constantly since 2003, the year of the BJP's advent to power.
 
According to statistics of the local Church, there have been more than 170 anti-Christian attacks since that date.
 
The prelate affirmed, however, that "we will not yield to pressure." He encouraged participation in Sunday's peaceful protest.
 
More than 5,000 took part in the march through the streets of Bhopal, though the day was hot. The protesters carried placards and flags, requesting that the rights of Christians and minorities be respected and aggressions against them be sanctioned.
 
A similar demonstration was held in Saliya, where Christians requested a stop to the violence against their community.
 
It is estimated that in Madhya Pradesh, Christians represent less than 1% of the population of 55 million, 91% of whom are Hindu.