Over the Christmas period, more than 100 incidents terrorized Christians.
Newsroom (11/01/2022 10:03 AM, Gaudium Press) Christian leaders in India have called for an impartial investigation into the destruction of a century-old statue of Jesus Christ in a British-era Catholic church in Ambala in the northern state of Haryana.
In video footage, two men were seen scaling the wall of the church compound on Christmas Eve and destroying the image.
Police arrested two suspects, and a court placed them in judicial custody. But church leaders suspect that the official investigator wants to minimize what happened:
“The police officers in charge of the investigation are backing the suspects and trying to minimize the crime under the allegation that they acted under the influence of alcoholic beverages,” said Fr. Patras Mundu, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church.
“The police have not charged the suspects for violating curfew orders imposed in the city,” the parish priest stressed, adding that one of those arrested is a government official and therefore familiar with local laws.
“If we let them go unpunished, then it won’t be long before someone comes and attacks us added.
The Redemptorist priest told UCA News that the incident occurred just after the Christmas midnight mass and appeared well-orchestrated, with the suspects, as can be seen in the footage on the recording, “receiving instructions from someone via their cell phones and acting accordingly.”
The parish’s assistant priest said it took the two men more than an hour to destroy the statue of Jesus and the decorations inside the church compound.
Christian leaders suspect that members of Hindu nationalist groups participated in the vandalism.
Recently released data from the United Christian Forum shows that the year 2021 was one of the worst for Indian Christians, who faced persecution across the country.
There were 486 reported violent attacks against the Christian community and its institutions, surpassing the 328 computed in 2019.
In the last two months alone, over the Christmas period, more than 100 incidents terrorized Christians.
Christians represent only 2.3% of India’s 1.3 billion population, where 80% are Hindus.
With information and photo from Ucanews.
Compiled by Camille Mittermeier