Amritsar (Punjab)/New Delhi — Largely a peaceful state with a legacy of social harmony, Punjab is fast losing its sheen. The state has witnessed a spate of attacks against Christians and churches in the recent past, which is still going on unabated.
Close on the heels of the desecration of Jesus and Mary statues at a church in Taran Taran by masked men, a glass sheet of a window of a Catholic church at Nandanpur village in Jalandhar district was found missing on September 29.
Though the church management called the attack on their place of worship part of a “thoughtful trick and conspiracy”, the Jalandhar police have ruled out any such attempt of vandalism.
“A small piece of window sheet fell in the church. The police are trying to ascertain whether it was a technical fault or someone’s handiwork. Investigations are on, and we cannot register an FIR (first information report) till the investigation is over,” said Jalandhar SSP Swarandeep Singh, advising people to refrain from rumour mongering.
On August 31, a group of four masked men “forcefully entered” Infant Jesus Catholic Church campus at Thakarpura village in Taran Taran’s Patti Assembly constituency, “attacked” the security guard and held him captive at “gunpoint”.
The “armed” intruders vandalized a statue of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary at the entrance of the prayer hall on the first floor of the church and took their heads away.
At the time of the incident, around four people were inside the church campus including Father Thomas Poochalil, his two associates and a guard.
“At around 12:30 am four unidentified masked men entered the church campus and held the security guard captive at gunpoint. Thereafter, they climbed the first floor of the church, vandalized the statues and took away their heads,” said Father Poochalil.
He added that “the masked intruders also set a Baleno car parked on the church premises on fire before they left the campus. It was meticulously planned as the vandals did not stay on the campus for more than 25 minutes”.
After the vandals left the church campus the security guard informed, the priest rang up the station house officer (SHO) of Sadar Patti police station who thereon sent two police officers after 15 minutes and registered an FIR (No. 0148/2022) against the unknown accused under section sections of 295-A, 452, 427, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 25 of Arms Act, 1959.
The sections are related to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint, mischief and acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
A special investigation team (SIT) headed by the Ferozepur Range Inspector General (IG) is investigating the attack, but no arrest has been made so far. The SIT also includes the Tarn Taran SSP and the SP (Investigations). The SIT has been tasked to conduct a day-to-day investigation into the case and submit a final report to the competent court soon.
A routine Sunday prayer, which includes preaching and a healing session, at a makeshift church at Daduana village in Amritsar, was attacked on August 28 over the allegation of conversion and superstition.
“Around 500 Nihangs (a Sikh warrior order), armed with sharp-edged weapons, sticks and firearms, attacked the assembly at around 11:30 am when the regular Sunday prayer was going on,” alleged Pastor Sukhvinder Raja, who belongs to the Pentecostal Christian denomination.
Pentecostalism is a charismatic Christian movement which emphasises the direct personal experience of God through gifts of the Holy Spirit like prophecy and healing.
He further alleged that it was him who was their target, but the mob failed to recognise and spot him and was somehow rescued by the devotees.
“The devotees locked me inside a room located close to the prayer venue. After they failed to find me, they attacked the assembly and ransacked everything,” he alleged.
The Nihangs, the pastor alleged, had already begun gathering since nine in the morning and had tried to block access to the place of gathering.
“As I told the worshippers, who were around 200 in number and mostly women and children, that it was the day of test of their faith and that Jesus is alive, the assailants barged into the tent,” said the pastor, while narrating the sequence of the incident.
“They did not spare anyone and anything. Around 45 people suffered injuries,” he said, alleging that all that happened in presence of the strong police force — which was already there as the Nihangs had started gathering.
An FIR (No. 0233/2022) was registered at Police Station Jandiala on August 29 against unknown assailants under sections 295, 296, 427, 148, and 149 of IPC, but no arrests have been made so far.
Following the attack in August, the Sunday prayer at the makeshift church stands discontinued because the community, including the pastor, is feeling threatened. The prayer meeting has temporarily been shifted to the pastor’s residence with reduced participation.
This story was originally published in twocircles.net . Read the full story here