Indian Christians protest inaction after vandalizm at pilgrimage center

Statues including those of Jesus and Mother Mary have been damaged by unknown vandals in the central state of Chhattisgarh

Catholics in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh organized a silent protest against police failure to take action against the vandals who damaged statues of Jesus and Mother Mary at a local pilgrimage center.

Ahead of the silent rally on July 8, parishioners of Dongargarh in the Raipur archdiocese conducted an hour-long adoration.

“We want the police to take immediate action against those who are behind this attack,” said Parish priest Kishore Ekka after registering a complaint at the local police station in Rajnandagoan district.

The priest said the vandalism at Mount Calvary, which is a popular pilgrimage spot for Christians, was noticed on July 3.

There were statues installed at all the 14 Stations of the Cross on the way to the mount but only three among them were spared by the vandals. “The statues were standing intact until 4 in the evening on July 2. What happened later is not known to us,” Father Ekka told UCA News on July 8.

Although it had been five days since his complaint, there was no progress in the investigations, he added with displeasure.

“The archdiocese had declared Mount Calvary as a pilgrimage center in 2001. Catholics from the diocese outside the state have been visiting it since then,” Father Ekka added.

Inspector Surendra Kumar Swarnakar, who is in charge of the Dongargarh Police Station, told the media that investigations were underway and the suspects will be nabbed soon.

But local Christians say they are upset with the tardy probe.

Gurvinder Singh Chadda, president of the Akhil Bharati Isai Samudaya Adhikar Sangathan, a Christian rights group, condemned the police inaction and said he would soon seek the intervention of the state’s governor and chief minister.

Christians in Chhattisgarh have often accused the state’s government and police of not acting on their complaints of persecution, leading to an increase in violent attacks against them and their institutions, including places of worship.

Father Sebastian Poomattam, vicar general of the archdiocese, called the attack “unfortunate” and appealed to the police to punish the culprits to avoid such incidents in the future.

Hindu nationalist groups active in Chhattisgarh are known to target Christians while falsely accusing them of converting gullible indigenous people to Christianity, a charge Christians deny.

Christians make up less than 2 percent of the close to 30 million people in Chhattisgarh. India’s Christian population is 2.3 percent of the 1.3 billion people.