DICF condemns attack on Christians, churches

From our Staff Correspondent

DIBRUGARH, March 16:  The Dibrugarh Inter Church Forum (DICF), an association of Christian Churches, has expressed serious concern over the recent ubated crimes perpetrated upon Christians, churches , Christian institutions and leaders by miscreants, fundamentalists and certain organized and vested interest groups in India.

In a memorandum sent to the President of India through the Deputy Commissioner, the DICF stated that several Christian institutions and their houses of worship had been desecrated in the form of arson, stone pelting vandalism and robbery in different parts of the country which “had crossed all limits of barbarism and monstrous acts”.

Taking serious exception to such heinous acts, the DICP unequivocally condemned all crimil cases like St Sebastian’s Charch in Dilshad Garden, Delhi, the Church in Vikashpuri in West Delhi, Syro Malabar Church at Jasola in South Delhi, the burning down of Christmas crib at Church of Resurrection in outer Delhi’s Rohini area, Saint Alphonsa’s Roman Catholic Church in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, St. Joseph’s Church in Mangalore, Kartaka and the Believer’s Church in Harya and the recent alleged gangrape of a 72-year old ailing nun of Jesus and Mary Convent cum school in Raghat in West Bengal.

“The spate of violence against Christians and by gauging the manner of response from the law-and-order machinery of the country, the Christians belonging to different denomitiol churches  are bound to believe that anti-Christian activities are being planned and orchestrated by certain influential fundamentalist groups,” the memorandum stated.

President Dr Lamkholal Doungel , secretary David G. Momin of DICP and Bishop of Dibrugarh Diocese, Rt. Rev. Joseph Aind urged upon the President to take appropriate action to suppress all such elements who were bent to de-stablize and destroy the secular ideals of the country, and to ensure peaceful co-existence of people of all faiths in the country.  In the same breathe the DICP also demanded that all culprits should be brought to book and justice be delivered as per the laws of the land.