By Anto Akkara
The Christian leadership of Assam in northeast India has expressed “deep concern over relentless attacks on the Christian community” in the state ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Assam Christian Forum (ACF) “expressed shock, pain, and anguish over the relentless attacks on the Christian community, its institutions, and individuals over the past year,” the ACF said after a Nov. 28 meeting presided over by its chairman, Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati.
“We need protection against what is happening and urge the government to ensure the safety of the Christians,” Moolachira told CNA on Dec. 3.
The diverse concerns of the Christian community in Assam — which accounts for nearly 4% of the state’s 35 million people — were listed in the statement the ACF issued after the meeting involving a dozen key Christian church leaders.
The ACF lamented that there have been several attacks on Christian institutions “demanding the removal of faith-revered statues and pictures.”
“This blatant disregard for religious freedom and tolerance is unacceptable,” the statement said.
“Police conducting investigations against the church and individuals in [several] districts has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation,” the organization said.
ACF also pointed to reported “false and malicious accusations against the church” by a Hindu nationalist leader claiming “that [the church] was behind drug dealing and supplying.”
This story was originally published in catholicnewsagency.com. Read the full story here.