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Christians urge government to rein in Sangh Parivar outfits

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Christian community in Rajasthan has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government in the State to rein in the Sangh Parivar outfits which have been on a rampage in the past. The daily attacks on Christian institutions and places of worship are part of a well thought out strategy to terrorize and intimidate the community, it has charged.

The community leaders went public for the first time after the spate of attacks recently on the life and property of their members last Friday with a meeting, also addressed by Church of North India Bishop Collin C. Theodore and Pradesh Congress Committee president B.D.Kalla. The meeting was followed by an interaction with media persons at the Calvary Bible Church. The church, situated on Ajmer Road, was one of the targets of the Shiv Sena-Hindu Jagran Manch-Bajrang Dal workers on Sunday.

"We appeal for justice to the State Government. We are being persecuted for no reason," Raymond Coelho and Z.R.Masih, organizer and president respectively of the Jaipur Christian Fellowship (JCF), said. "The attacks have become almost regular and the administration and the police have failed to protect our life and property. The Christian community in Rajasthan is terrorized and there is a great sense of insecurity," Rev.Masih said.

The past week saw attacks on Christian institutions in Kota, Jhalawar, and Beawar and in Jaipur in the wake of violent protests by the radical Hindu organizations over the controversial book "Haqeeqat". In Jaipur alone, four such incidents took place between February 21 and February 26 involving stone pelting, vandalism, blocking entry to places of worship and public defacement of a cross, Rev.Masih pointed out.

Referring to the role of "Haqeeqat" in the latest round of attacks, he said the writer and publisher of the book was not associated with the Emmanuel Mission International. "An EMI outlet was found selling the book but the book was not published by them. A book stall owner cannot be held responsible for the contents of every title he sells," they argued.

The church elders sought the cooperation of the authorities to ally the misgivings created in the minds of Hindus over the content of the book.

"The Christian community, churches, the community institutions and schools have nothing to do with the book," Father Coelho explained. The Christian representatives warned against the State Government's move to cancel the registration of all five societies under the Emmanuel Mission. The move would endanger the future of thousands of children, especially Dalit children who study in Emmanuel schools.

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