Christian community | SabrangIndia

Mangalore: Why was the 40-year-old St. Antony Holy Cross prayer hall demolished?

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:50:36 +0000

Image Courtesy:twitter.com

A 40-year-old Christian prayer hall in Mangaluru was demolished reportedly by “unidentified miscreants” on Saturday. The Christian prayer hall was also used as an Anganawadi at Urudady Gudde in Panjimogaru, and its demolition has triggered outrage among the Christian community in the city.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, Roy Castelino, PRO, Mangalore Diocese, said the prayer hall was built on 585 sq ft land more than 40 years ago and was managed by the St Antony Building Committee formed by local people of the area. He showed mediapersons documents that stated that this property was in dispute between the Committee and Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD) and it was the latter who had sought its demolition.

However, on January 28, the Fourth Additional Civil Judge and JMFC Court, Mangaluru, had “restrained the defendants from demolishing any structure or building existing in the suit properties, without following due process of law, till the disposal of the interlocutory application. The next hearing of the case is on February 14,” stated the news report.

According to Castelino, some “unauthorised persons started chopping the trees in the prayer hall premises” and the church officials, fearing that those people may also demolish the prayer hall, lodged a complaint with the Kavoor police station. Castelino alleged that the police did not respond to it and on Saturday, “around 11 am when the majority of the people living in the prayer hall surroundings had gone out for work, some unidentified miscreants demolished the prayer hall using a backhoe. Some women recorded the demolition on their cellphones” he recalled.

A 40 year old St Antony Holy Cross prayer hall at kuloor (Mangalore) has been completely demolished using JCB by miscreants. Another day another horror. pic.twitter.com/nP0vj5LvQM

— Undefeated_Faith (@Shaad_Bajpe) February 6, 2022

He has termed it “a clear case of contempt of court and added that they will file a police complaint over the incident”. According to TNIE the Deputy Commissioner of police KV Rajendra told the media that a report from the Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Department has been sought. He said, “I received a complaint in this regard after the structure was demolished. Preliminary reports suggest it had gone to PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Department) to construct an Anganwadi. But it is not clear who demolished it. I have asked to check whether there was no court stay against demolition and whether the Anganwadi could have been constructed sparing the prayer hall.”

According to a report in the Daijiworld portal, members of the Shri Satya Korddabbu Seva Samithi, allegedly violated the stay order from the court, entered the compound of the prayer centre, and demolished the building, compound wall, and trees. A complaint has been filed by St Anthony Holy Cross Building Committee president Antony Prakash Lobo, Cyprian D’Souza, Francis Pinto, and Valerian Lobo against Shri Satya Korddabbu Seva Samithi at Kavoor police station stated the news report.

“The court has given a stay, preventing illegal entry to our property and harming our building. The deputy commissioner has also issued a stay. But, the opposite party has illegally entered our property and demolished our compound wall and trees inside our compound. They have also prepared invitation cards to organise first-year Nemotsava inside our compound,” stated the complainants adding, “We have been living in this compound for the past 40 years and the city corporation authorities have given us a door number. We had also allowed to run Anganwadi for free. We have always been in favour of peace. But, the opposite party wants to disrupt peace and has done this.”

Daijiworld quoted Antony Prakash Lobo who said, “St Anthony Holy Cross Prayer Centre which is a part of the St Antony Church of Kulur has been functioning for the past 40 years. The city corporation has provided electricity and water. We had allowed the Anganwadi for children here without any charges. The civil dispute matter is in the court. The order copy has been submitted to the deputy commissioner and police commissioner. The local public is claiming that they want to build a ‘Daivastana’ here. Though there is a stay from the court, they have demolished the prayer center. We used to celebrate all festivals along with Anganwadi children.”

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MP: Bajrang Dal men attack Christian-run school even as students were writing an exam inside!

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 06:36:21 +0000

Image Courtesy:newindianexpress.com

Schools run by the Christian community continue to be under attack by the right-wing groups in Madhya Pradesh. On December 6, a mob swearing allegiance to the Bajrang Dal, barged into the St Joseph School in Ganj Basoda town of Vidisha district, around 105 km from Bhopal, the state capital.

The mob pelted stones at the building claiming religious conversion of students by the Christian Missionary institution. The dangerous violence took place while the students of Class 12 were sitting for a mathematics exam, reported NDTV. Luckily the children were not hurt and had a narrow escape along with the school staff. But, the fact that the attack took place even as students were appearing for an examination inside the school, showcases how little the attackers actually cared about the students.

The school was reportedly targeted by the Bajrang Dal, after “allegations on social media that as many as eight students were converted by the administration” stated the news reports. The right-wing mob were easily able to enter the St. Joseph School. They alleged “conversions’ on the basis of a fake news spread by a local Youtube Channel named “Aayudh” reported Matters India.

Video clips of the attack went viral on social media on Monday, and showed the massive mobs entering the school campus. They then pelted stones, broke windows and damaged a vehicle.

Hindutva goons attacking on St Joseph’s school in Ganjbasoda, Vidisha Madhya Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/92ewtBsjWa

— Ahmed Khabeer احمد خبیر (@AhmedKhabeer_) December 6, 2021

According to news reports, local police were seen trying to disperse the crowd. Recounting the panic as the mob threw stones at the glass windows, a student told the media, “Our concentration was broken, we want the exam to be held again”.

Brother Antony Pynumkal, principal of St Joseph’s School told the media that the allegation of conversion was “fake and baseless.” Belonging to the Malabar Missionary order, Pynumkal said they “received a memorandum on November 30 from some local Hindu groups from Ahirwar, Dangi and Rajput Communities alleging conversion of students”. Pynumkal said that none of the names mentioned in the complaint matches any of the students. He reportedly had also alerted the police and the state administration. However the mobs still managed to collect and attack the school.

The Diocese of Sagar’s PRO Fr. Sabu Puthenpurackal issued a media statement on Monday evening, saying 500 people attacked the Catholic school, and even after the management had informed the police “only two of them were deployed in the school premise when the mob came.”

“They could not do anything,” added Brother Pynumkal. The management had also informed the local police about the right wing’s “memorandum” as well as the ongoing board exams in the school.

According to reports, the St. Joseph Church Ganj Basoda had organised a Holy Communion celebration for the Catholic children of the Parish on October 31. A customary group photo of the Catholic children along with the Bishop and the Parish Priest was published in the Diocesan Monthly e-Newsletter “Sagar Voice” on November 5. This photo was misinterpreted as “conversion of Hindu children” by the Youtube channel Aayudh and that is what fuelled the communal attack on the Christian run school. However, the Catholic children who were in the photo are not students and the parish is some two kilometers away from the school, Pynumkal told the media, adding that the school has around 1,500 students and “less than one percent of them are Christians.”

Last month, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team, led by its chairman Priyank Kanoongo, conducted a surprise inspection on November 8 at a girls’ hostel at Kheri village in Raisen district, located around 50 kms northeast of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh citing allegations of religious conversion. After the inspection the Commission has reportedly demanded a report within 10 days. The home is run by Catholic nuns, and the NCPCR chief alleged that “religious conversions are suspected” there.

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Can Delhi’s demolished church, and shattered trust be repaired?

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 04:42:42 +0000

It was the obvious restraint of the Christian community, following the demolition of a church in south Delhi’s Chattarpur area on July 12, that has prevented any untoward communal unrest in the national capital. However, it is also the silence, rather evasion of responsibility for the action that may have sowed the seeds of mistrust in the community.

The South Delhi district administration had razed a church built upon “encroached” land, this according to media reports was done “during a demolition drive” in Chattarpur, which is best described as an urban village, with shops, residential areas, government establishments all have coexisted peacefully. A little further down are historical architectural wonders such as the Qutub Minar, and many others in the Mehrauli archeological zone. There are also grand temple complexes such as the well known Chattarpur Mandir. The history of the area is well known, and it is also known to have been mostly peaceful even when the rest of the city has seen communal unrest in recent times.

One of the most docile communities are the Christians who live around here, many of who are members of the congregation of the The Little Flower Syro Malabar Church that is in Dr Ambedkar Colony near Andheria Mod (crossroad) area in Chhatarpur. According to a report in the Indian Express, Father Jose Kannumkuzhy, the parish priest of the church said it was “operating from a temporary structure,” which was suddenly demolished. Soon enough messages in the church groups shared how the demolition squad arrived with police protection and tore the structure down, the priests did not even get time to gather the religious articles used in worship. Some staged a small protest against the demolition and asked the police to give them time. However, what moved many more was the Holy Mass prayers that were then conducted amidst the rubble of the demolished structure.

The background of ownership

Another video circulating on church groups was a video message from the plot’s original owner John Philipose, an acclaimed museologist, and interior designer who is credited with donating this plot of land to the church over a decade ago. In his message Philipose explained that while the gram sabha land had been legally allotted for poultry farmers in 1975. He had the land since 1985, however as the area was densely populated poultry farms could not be run there. So most of the plot owners started running various businesses. Philipose had set up his art gallery and his architectural office there. From 2000-2005 he was not using the land at all and was approached by the parishioners asking if they could use this as a place of worship. “Without a second thought, we said it is the happiest moment of our life..” he said, and he gave the church that plot. The church worship took place for 15 years since then. He adds that the church is not the only place of worship in Amnedkar Nagar colony, “It is a multi religious community” that lives there, said Philipose. There are many temples, gurudwara, Jain temples, a Buddhist monastery all in a range of a few kilometers. However, the church was the only structure demolished. Phillipose in his message said that the “property is legal” and the authorities who had given a commitment should have given a chance to [the church] to reply to any queries. “I feel regret why did they victimise us,” he ends his video with an offer to the authors of giving any clarifications they sought.

According to the Catholic News Service, Father Jose said that on July 9, “an evacuation notice was given … to our security guard without any proper communication. I checked with the lawyer and he said it is not even addressed to anyone and there is a stay order from the National Human Rights Commission that this place of worship should not be demolished.” He added, “A few people came Monday (July 12) morning, assured me, ‘We will not touch the church.’ When I tried to call others, they pushed me out and did not allow me to enter the compound to remove the tabernacle or holy items from the church.” Soon the “police barricaded the whole area and prevented our people from coming near to protest. This is shocking,” said the priest of the parish which reportedly has over 2,500 members.

It was DDA who demolished church says Kejriwal

However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have stepped away from the matter saying the demolition was done by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that comes under the Union government. He spoke to the media at Panjim, Goa, and said, “I am told, firstly, it was done by DDA. DDA comes under the central government. The Delhi government has no control over it. DDA perhaps went to the High Court. The High Court gave an order and DDA has taken that action. Our local MLAs are involved with the church. Our Chhatarpur MLA Tanwarji is with them, with the church. We will provide whatever help they need.” Kejriwal added that “justice” will be done.

According to Indian Express, while Kejriwal has put the onus on the DDA, its officials have denied that the demolition was carried out by them or on their recommendation. “Our team has not taken any such action,” a senior official was quoted by IE. According to the report a show cause notice to the “encroachers” was issued on July 7, by the Block Development Officer, South Delhi district. This comes under the Delhi government’s revenue department. The notice stated that “an encroachment on gram sabha land was observed by the area Panchayat Secretary” and that the land is for public utility and has not been “allotted to anybody.” According to the news report the occupants were given three days to remove the structure, “failing which action will be taken”.

The notice reportedly cited “a letter from the Home Police-II Department, GNCT of Delhi, dated March 3, which referred to a 2015 High Court interim order on demolishing encroachments.” However, Father Jose alleged that the demolition was done suddenly. “They came without any prior information. I was here when it happened. Everything has been demolished, statues broken, instruments used for prayers, church records, sound systems have all been damaged. The altar is still there but we cannot use it anymore. It was not even a concrete structure, only a temporary shed,” he told the IE.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said, “Churches are used as places of worship and a tense situation should not have happened at such a place of worship. The Kerala government has limitations in intervening in the issue. However, the government would explore what can be done.”

Church leaders condemn demolition, write to PM

The New Indian Express reported that The Latin Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly and Jacobite Syrian Christain Church condemned the demolition of Little Flower Church (that is under the Faridabad diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church in Delhi). Archbishop of Verapoly Joseph Kalathiparambil issued a statement saying, “The demolition of the church has cast a shadow on the secular nature of the country. For over 13 years, over 1,500 faithful from around 450 families used to rely on the church for prayers.” He has also demanded that the authorities concerned intervene at the earliest and find a resolution to the issue.

Metropolitan Kuriakose Theophilose, media cell chairman of the Jacobite Church, also issued a statement condemning the demolition. They said, “The act of destroying a church under the Syro-Malabar Church in Delhi casts a shadow on the image of India, which to the world is a symbol of secularism. The Jacobite Church condemns this unfortunate incident. We urged the Delhi government to find a resolution to the issue urgently and show the way by making alternative arrangements for the people who lost the church to pray.”

According to the Catholic Register portal, the Syro-Malabar Bishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara of Faridabad, has now requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervene and rebuild the church. Bishop Bharanikulangara wrote to the PM on July 13 requesting his “immediate intervention in this serious matter … to rebuild and restitute (sic) the damage done to the believers and their place of worship”. The Bishop told the media, “We are shocked by this brazen church demolition. There was no provocation or reason for this church demolition,” adding “We built a temporary (church) structure on the land and we have been using it for regular worship for over 12 years. The parish has been paying property tax, water and electricity bills.” Bishop Bharanikulangara wrote to the PM, that church leaders were denied an opportunity to respond to the evacuation order, “With scant respect to the religious sacred place, they devastated, vandalized and desecrated everything and razed the church within hours.”

Former members of Delhi Minorities Commission issue statement

Reacting sharply to the demolition, former members of Delhi Minorities Commission issued a public statement on Thursday. Signatories Sr. Anastasia Gill, A C Michael and Abraham Pattiyani stated that it was “shocking that the Office of the Block Development Officer (South), M.B. Road, Saket, New Delhi which directly reports to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi issued a demolition notice (which never reached the Church authorities) to demolish a religious property without proper scrutiny or study, which of course was obediently and promptly demolished by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which too is under the control of ruling party in Centre.”

They asked why the Church was demolished “in such a hurry when the matter is still pending in the Court? Such hurried action not only violates the religious sentiments of the people, it in fact disturbs the religious harmony of the country.” According to the former members of DMC, the SDMC’s actions can be seen as a pattern that emerges “whenever there are elections around these kinds of incidents are propped up to polarise people’s minds.” They added that other incidents are being reported from across the country of actions “against religious minority groups and their places of worship.”

The three activists have asked that people “see the designs of certain political groups and avoid making statements that are not in tune with the facts”. They added that “Delhi Government led by Arvind Kejriwal has agreed to look into the matter and they will also consider to restore the Church to the original status and hand it back to Church authorities.”

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Tribal Christian families attacked in Chhattisgarh!

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 10:36:55 +0000

Image Courtesy:asianews.it

The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum has alleged that there has been a large-scale attack on the Tribal Christian community in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, today, November 25. According to a statement issued by Arun Pannalal, President Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, the violence against the Christian community broke out at around 2 AM in the village Sindhwaram, that falls under the jurisdiction of the Gajiraj police station in the Sukma district Chhattisgarh.

Pannalal stated that hundreds of people are injured and many are feared dead, though the death toll is yet to be confirmed. The Christian tribal rights activists stated that they have constantly been trying to get in touch with the District Collector and Superintendent of Police of Sukma all night, but they are not responding. “Gajiraj police station phone number is switched off since 2 AM,” stated Pannalal.

The organisation stated that an activist of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, managed to contact the Gajiraj police station in charge at around 6 AM. However, the police station in-charge denied any such incident. But the activists say that the victims of this attack have been sitting at the Gajiraj police station since 7 AM.

According to the information received and shared by the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, an early ‘Christmas worship’ was organised in the village Sindhwaram by the Christian community. Christian families from nearby villages also participated and after the community meal, the people slept in the tent. Around 2AM, however, they woke up when an allegedly drunk and armed mob attacked. “The murderous attack continued till five in the morning. Hundreds of Christians have been injured, many are feared dead, but the news of death cannot be confirmed,” stated Pannalal in his public statement. According to the activists there is still an atmosphere of fear in the area. Activists alleged that the villagers did not let anyone take videos or photos of the attack’s aftermath.

The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum stated that their district President and team were not allowed to enter the village. “With the fear of such tension and possible carnage”, the forum stated that it “has been appealing” to the states Chief Minister, Home Minister and high officials “and making them aware for two years, yet it has not been taken seriously.“ They alleged that the “entire Bastar region is being disturbed in a planned manner. This is a planned and conspiratorial attack”. Pannalal has demanded that the government “should act immediately, the matter should be investigated in depth.”

This is not the first such attack on Tribal Christians in the state. Earlier this month The Chhattisgarh High Court sought a response from Kondagaon Collector, SP and the state government after the attack on tribals who had voluntarily converted to Christianity recently. The Christian families had alleged that they were harassed, threatened, and homes were vandalised by some locals who were angry that they had adopted Christanity.

According to news reports, in September the members of the Christian community living in the villages of Kondagaon in Chhattisgarh had lodged a police complaint alleging that the locals were harassing them and that they feared for their lives and property. “The Christians are being beaten up, their properties ransacked and intimidated in spite of the presence of senior officials such as the Collector and SP. As many as 10 Christian families from different villages have approached cops for protection from the mobs. The affected families are living in an absolute helpless situation”, Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum had stated.

Around 16 tribal families filed a petition in the High Court and stated that they had converted to Christianity of their own accord in September 2020. However, this angered some in the village who then held meetings on September 19 and 20, and eventually ‘reported’ the conversion at the local police station on September 20. On September 22, the angry villagers came together as a violent mob, allegedly attacked the Christian houses and damaged property. They allegedly attacked again on September 23.

According to news reports the mobs were demanding that the Christians tribals “return to the tribal folds if they wish to live in the villages”. The Christian families were told to worship the native deities if they wished to continue living in the villages. Arun Pannalal, had alleged that a mob of around 2,000 villagers had ransacked the houses of at least 14 Christian families and also thrashed members of the community in Kakdabeda, Silati and Singanpur on September 22 and 23. These families, with over 50 members, were being pressured to quit their faith, he had alleged.

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Elections 2019: Amid Conversion Allegations, Christians Lead Fearful Lives in Jaunpur

Thu, 09 May 2019 04:34:08 +0000

According to the local pastors, the city saw 12 attacks targeting the Christian community in September last year.

Representational image. | Image Courtesy: tourmyindia

Jaunpur: The historically important city of Jaunpur, located Southwest of the Varanasi district, is one of the cities where minorities have been targeted the most over the allegations of religious conversion in the past three years.

It was in September 2018 when the Chandwak police station had registered an FIR against 271 people and had arrested many of them on the basis of complaints by Hindu Jagran Manch. Many of these arrested are still behind the bars fighting their cases in the court.

According to the local pastors, the city saw 12 attacks on the Christian community in September last year, and an attack was reported recently, on April 11, in Jamdaha village.

“We had gathered in the village only to offer our prayers. The prayer ceremony was being attended by a lot of people who believe in Christianity and have faith in Jesus, coming from different areas of Mau, Varanasi and other places. But then, people associated with Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha accused us of performing conversions, and created a ruckus,” said Vijay Durg*, a pastor, adding that the police were immediately called and many people of the Christian faith were detained. John said that the office of sub-district magistrate, Shahganj range, Rajesh Kumar Verma, clamped Section 144 of CrPC for holding prayers without seeking permission from the district administration.

The pastor further said, “Because we are a minority and are a very soft target for those who have their people in power, it becomes very easy for them to level an allegation of conversion and spread lies about our religion. Our religion asks us to respect other religions also, be it Hinduism, Islam or whatever. The right-wing groups have even got the FIR registered against us, claiming that we practise black magic to lure people towards Christianity. But tell me if anyone should believe this theory in the present age.”

Durg has been fighting many cases of conversion in different courts.

Bhupen Raj*, another pastor from Bulandih village who was detained on similar charges by the police and later released, told NewsClick, “The right-wing groups are up in arms against us just because people who are from the very low castes have started believing in Jesus. It makes easier for them to target us. They allege conversion, but it is not true. We are not into conversion or any other thing which is illegal as per the Indian law.”

When Khotasarai’s circle officer Ajay Kumar Srivastava was asked about the allegations of conversion, he said, “The investigation over these allegations is underway. Some of the women who had come here had told us that they had come as they believed in the faith and also because they wanted to get rid of different kinds of ailments they were suffering from.”

“This is a very complicated and a sensitive matter. In the last few months, the tension has escalated in the region due to insensitive reporting in media. We are police and we have not still reached any conclusion. Yet, some reporters write whatever they want to,” the police officer said.
Juhi Naresh*, daughter of one of the accused pastors, said, “Live and let us live. We know what our rights are, but these people from hardcore Hindu groups are not allowing us to live freely. We feel suffocated here as we are in fear that we may be attacked for our religious identity anytime.”

Naresh is pursuing the case of her father and many others who have been made an accused in the conversion allegations. “My father and many others were woken up in the middle of the night, and were arrested by the police on fake charges. This is an injustice with us and we will fight till our last breath for justice. This is a democratic nation and we know what our rights are,” she said.

Meanwhile, the officebearers of the right-wing groups, despite many phone calls and requests, refused to comment on this issue, as they were “busy with campaigning”.

Jaunpur will go to polls on May 12.

*Names have been changed in order to protect the identity of the people from minority community.

Courtesy: News Click

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