Christians in a central Indian state have demanded action against Hindu activists who climbed on the top of crosses in four churches and placed their flags as thousands joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open a contentious temple.
Right-wing Hindu activists climbed on top of churches and placed their saffron flags on Jan. 21 in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, inhabited predominantly by tribal communities.
The state, a hotbed of anti-Christian violence, is run by Modi’s pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Hindu activists shouted Jai Shree Ram (hail Lord Ram) as they targeted three churches of the Protestant Shalom Church and a church managed by the Church of South India.
They threatened the Church people who opposed their sacrilegious act.
“We informed the police, but they refused to register our complaint,” said Auxiliary Bishop Paul Muniya of the Shalom Church.
“The police are forcing us to reach a compromise,” Muniya told UCA News.
The flag-placing should be seen as part of the festivities linked to the Jan. 22 opening of the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh state’s Ayodhya town, considered the birthplace of Ram.
The controversial temple is perceived as the Hindu triumph over foreign religions as it was erected after the demolition of a 16th-century mosque built by Muslim invader Babar.
This story was originally published in ucanews.com. Read the full story here .