Members of Hindutva organisations barged into a Church in Tahirpur area of New Delhi disrupted prayers, tore the Bible, ransacked the building and raised slogans inside the premises.
Around 10:30 or 11 am on Sunday, people were praying inside the Church when suddenly, some Hindutva goons holding speakers entered the premises. The speakers blared “Hindu rashtra banayenge, Jai Shri Ram” which translates “We will make a Hindu nation, praise to Lord Ram.”
A video of the church making rounds on social media shows extensive damage inside the building, including the destruction of Bibles and images of Jesus.
Christian community members said that while they were praying they were assaulted with sticks by the goons belonging to Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
“Every Sunday, when we gather to pray in church, we do so in fear – the fear of being at-tacked,” a Christian man told the media, requesting anonymity.
Shivam, who was an eyewitness present during the prayer, said: “They (Hindutva members) entered the Church without permission and asked us to stop the prayer, claiming that the country had changed – ‘ye desh dharm nirpeksh nahi raha hai, yaha ab kanoon badal gaya hai‘, meaning that the country is no longer secular, and the rules have changed.”
Many from the Christian community have confirmed to the media that the mob which entered the Bhawan without permission was armed with swords and sticks, and that they also tore up Bibles.
Shivam stated, “They attacked us with sticks, and many people were injured.” The injured in-cluded several women, one of whom is Shivam’s sister, who suffered a muscle injury.
Three women who did not wish to reveal their identities claimed that they were beaten by the Hindutva goons and that they attempted to remove their clothing.
At noon, some Christians went to the GTB En-clave police station to file a complaint against the attackers. In response, more than 100 people from the Bajrang Dal, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad gathered outside the police station, chanting Hindu religious slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Some members of these Hindutva groups were also present inside the police station, where they continued to chant the slogan.
Pastor Satpal Bhati talking to the media said, “What can I say? When people in this country are not safe in their own land, there is no situation left to survive in. We have been praying here for 13 years, and I have never encountered a situation like the one we faced today. The Christian community lives in constant fear, fearing for their lives.”
Police said a case has been registered and they are trying to identify the people involved in the incident through video footage from security cam-eras near the church.—INP
