Indian Christians appeal for peace after communal clashes

Violence erupts in capital New Delhi and several states during festive celebrations by Hindus

Indian Christians have appealed for peace after sectarian clashes broke out in national capital New Delhi, leaving many people and police officers injured.

Police arrested 23 suspects after violence erupted on April 16 during a Hindu religious procession in Jahangirpuri, a predominantly Muslim suburb.

Residents said the situation remained tense on Easter Sunday in Jahangirpuri, the home of some 10,000 Muslim families who reportedly migrated from Bangladesh.

A parish priest from the riot-affected area appealed to the faithful to pray for peace. “Happy Easter! However, we were not able to celebrate Easter Vigil Mass as there was a clash between some groups near the church … May the Risen Lord bring us hope. Kindly pray for us,” he said in a message.

Delhi police on April 18 said the situation was under control.

Meanwhile, New Delhi and neighboring Uttar Pradesh state in the north were put on high alert after reports of Hindu-Muslim clashes in several states mostly ruled by India’s ruling pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since April 10.

“Nobody is going to gain anything from the communal unrest. It is the responsibility of the concerned governments to ensure social harmony among people of all faiths”

Local authorities demolished the homes and shops of suspected Muslim rioters in Madhya Pradesh state after violence during the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, while in Gujarat state makeshift shops were removed after one man was killed in riots.

There were reports of violence from Jharkhand and West Bengal in the east, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in the south, Uttarakhand in the north and Goa in the west.

The prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in the capital also witnessed a clash over meat being served in a hostel mess on Ram Navami commemorating the birth of Lord Rama.

“This is very disturbing as it is not going to help anyone. In fact, it will do more harm to our country,” said Father Savarimuthu Sankar, a spokesperson for Delhi Archdiocese.

Father Sankar told UCA News: “Nobody is going to gain anything from the communal unrest. It is the responsibility of the concerned governments to ensure social harmony among people of all faiths.”

Opposition politicians accused the BJP and its Hindu nationalist allies of stoking communal passions in states ruled by it.

“We are extremely concerned with the growing incidents of hate speech in the country by people who appear to have official patronage and against whom no meaningful and strong action is being taken,” said a joint statement from opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi of the Congress and Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party, besides the opposition chief ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

“We are shocked at the silence of the prime minister, who has failed to speak against the words and actions of those who propagate bigotry and those who, by their words and actions, incite and provoke our society”

The opposition leaders were especially critical of what they called the “eloquent silence” on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We are shocked at the silence of the prime minister, who has failed to speak against the words and actions of those who propagate bigotry and those who, by their words and actions, incite and provoke our society. This silence is an eloquent testimony to the fact that such private armed mobs enjoy the luxury of official patronage,” the statement said.

Media reports quoted one Mastan, an eyewitness, alleging that some people carrying saffron flags had tried to enter a Delhi mosque, which led to the violence. There was hardly any police presence in the area at the time, he said.

Federal Home Minister Amit Shah directed police to take strict action against the troublemakers while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to maintain peace.

Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana put out a statement assuring the situation was under control as additional forces had been deployed.

Police said they were investigating the violence that started over an argument between two groups when a Hindu religious procession stopped near a mosque, leading to stone-pelting and slogan shouting. A few vehicles were set on fire by members of the mob.

The capital had witnessed mob violence on April 2 after a rally passing through a Muslim-dominated area allegedly played communally charged songs on Nav Samvatsar, the first day of the Hindu New Year.