http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/police-crack-down-on-protest-against-church-attacks-in-delhi-737104

NEW DELHI: A large number of policemen today swooped down on a
protest in Delhi against attacks on churches, and dragged activists,
including priests, into buses.

The protest outside the Sacred Heart cathedral in the heart of the
city was "unlawful", said the police, who were seen pulling women and
even children, leaving bags and shoes scattered on the road.

Father Dominic Emanuel, the spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic
Archdiocese, was also forced into a bus.

"What kind of justice is this? Shame on the police. The Prime Minister
speaks on everything, why not on this?" said one furious priest,
questioning overzealous action on what was meant to be a peaceful
protest.

An elderly woman activist, who lay on the road, was picked up by four
policewomen and bundled into a bus.

A disproportionately large number of policemen outnumbered protesters
outside the church. The commotion caused traffic jams in one of the
busiest commercial areas in the capital, not far from top government
offices, the Parliament building and ministers' homes.

"The people are being detained. They have no permission to protest on
the road. They can't just march to the home minister's residence. We
have to protect the residence of VIPs," said senior police officer
Mukesh Kumar Meena. He admitted there were no prohibitory orders in
place.

Activists, some of them holding crosses and rosaries, chanted "We want
Justice" and held up posters that said: "Stop violence against
Christians."

Christian groups had organized a silent march to highlight what they
called lack of serious action in recent attacks on churches. They said
they would march to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence.

There have been five attacks on churches since December.In the latest
incident earlier this week, the St Alphonsa's Church in south Delhi's
Vasant Kunj was vandalised. The police called it robbery.

A church in west Delhi's Vikaspuri was vandalized last month. The
police said three men caught on camera and arrested were drunk and
attacked the church on a dare.

Some Christian groups suspect a pattern of orchestrated attacks, and
say the police are undermining them.

AN UPDATE
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Ref: I-a-5/CCBI-PA/276

06 February 2015

Uphold Rule of Law, Peace and Harmony

We, the 140 Bishops from across the country attending the 27th Plenary
Assembly of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI)
during February 3–9 in Bangalore, hereby express our deep anguish and
concern over increasing threats to peace and communal harmony in the
wake of various untoward incidents affecting the Christian community
in different parts of the country.

Hardly a day has passed off in recent months without reports of
attacks on Christians, Churches and Christian institutions from across
the nation. Churches have been torched even in the national capital
while reports of ‘Ghar Waspsi’ and blatant threats to hold mass
reconversions are causing anxiety to the Christians scattered in the
far corners of the nation.

Amid canards being spread and open threats against religious
minorities by belligerent groups and their leaders, even elected
representatives of people have made shocking statements brazenly
challenging the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution
of India under Article 25. (1) which lays down that: “Subject to
public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this
Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and
the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.”

We are distressed over divisive steps from passing of resolutions to
ban Christian practices at village level to an aborted national level
bid to keep educational institutions open even on Christmas Day. Such
concerted efforts at different levels raise concerns of a planned
program to undermine the Christian community as second class citizens
in our motherland where the community has made immense contributions
in the field of education, healthcare and social service even in the
remote hinterlands.

As citizens of this country, we have every right for ‘Equality before
Law’ guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution which mandates that
“The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the
equal protection of the laws within the territory of India Prohibition
of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of
birth.”

The police manhandling of peaceful gathering of even women, children,
nuns and priests at the gate of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the
heart of New Delhi on February 5, 2015 raises questions whether these
constitutional guarantees are not applicable to the Christian
community.

The recurring assaults and vandalism against Christian targets in
different parts of country and failure of the guardians of law to
bring the culprits to book have only worsened the air of impunity.

The silence of those responsible for upholding our Constitutional
Rights and their failure to protect the community are indeed baffling.

It is high time for the Government - that has the bounden duty of
protecting its citizens and their rights - to enforce the rule of law
and curb the belligerence of the outfits defiling peace and communal
harmony in the nation.

Oswald Cardinal Gracias
President

Abp. Filipe Neri Ferrao
Vice-President

Bp. Varghese Chakkalakal
Secretary General