Karnataka Christians march against persecution in memory of Gandhi
(Feb.02,2010): More than two thousand Christians in southern India’s Karnataka State,
marched in silence on Saturday (30 Jan.) to mark the Day of martyrdom of Mahatma
Gandhi and ask the Indian government for protection against religious persecution
that is growing day by day. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians,
a group based in Bangalore, in 2009 alone there were 159 violent attacks against the
minority, of which 72 in Karnataka. A joint statement signed by the President of
the Association, Sajan George, and Catholic Bishop Thomas Vazhapilly of Mysore,
addressed to the Governor of Karnataka said : "We, the members of the Christian community
of Mysore, on the day dedicated to the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, pay tribute to
the father of the nation. But we are also here to present our protest against the
atrocities perpetrated against our community. The statement also said : "We want
to bring your attention to the fact that attacks on minorities, particularly Christians,
are increasing. Four occurred in the last ten days alone. These attacks, said the
statement, are a threat to the secular soul of our nation, human rights and the right
to freely profess and propagate one’s own religion , a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
The statement further said : "We regret to note that the attacks on Christians
have intensified, since the current state government came to power. Little has been
done recently by the authorities to ensure protection of the faithful and their churches.
The response of Christians has always been peaceful, but we expect that the state,
local and central, and the international community realize, that there is a specific
plan against us and they must come to our aid”. In conclusion, the petitioners
ask the governor for intervention to protect all minorities and give a direct order
to the security forces, to take action to investigate the attacks and punish those
responsible. They also ask for adequate representation of members of Christian communities
within the organs of the state government, and a commitment to stop the hate campaign
against them.