Christians complain against razing of graves in Ahmedabad India

(February 02, 2012) The All India Christian Council has filed a fresh complaint against razing of some graves in a cemetery by unidentified people in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State. Representatives of the council filed the complaint on Tuesday at Sabarmati police station, alleging police inaction in the matter. “Law and order has collapsed in the state. Now, even burial grounds are not safe in Gujarat. Christians in the state seem to be the next after Muslims,” Samson Christian, a council member said. The Council also demanded resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. The incident took place recently when some unidentified men came with a bulldozer and several trucks and flattened the top of some of the graves under the pretext of cleaning the area. “When we reached the spot, the area was being used as a parking space by people attending a function nearby,” said Martin Hector Harris of the Sion Methodist Church in Dharamnagar. AICC president of the Sabarmati ward Vasant Christian had filed a complaint with the police blaming “anti-social elements” of bulldozing and ransacking the burial ground and hurting Christian sentiments. Sabarmati Inspector S.D. Patel said, “We have filed a complaint and taken photographs of the spot. We are taking down statements of locals.” The land for the cemetery was provided by the Western Railways before 1947 and seven churches of the city belonging to the Methodist, Church of North India, Catholic and Pentecostal sects use this cemetery.