Church leaders urge PM for police protection to Christians New Delhi | Wednesday, Dec 26 2007 IST
Denouncing and deploring the attacks on particular community in Orissa, church leaders here today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to prevent the massacre of the community and desecration of churches in the state. In a memorandum on behalf of All India Catholic Union, the All India Christian Council and the United Christian Action submitted to the Prime Minister, National Integration Council member John Dayal said the atrocities against the community in the state on December 24 and 25 were fast exploding into the kind of violence seen in the Dangs district of Gujarat during the Christmas of 1998. Calling the escalating violence and the targeting of Church leaders a well planned conspiracy, he alleged that the main aggression was from the Kui Janakalyan Samiti with its entire attention on driving away the community from the region. Dr Dayal appealed to the Union government to impress upon the Orissa government to ensure ample police protection to the community, its personnel and the institutions in the state. Meanwhile, the apex body of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), also expressed its shock and anguish over the attacks on the community and demanded urgent intervention by the Union and state governments to bring the lawless elements to book at the earliest. The All India Christian Council regretted that the complaints of a delegation of the community leaders from Phulbani, who met the District Collector to insist on safety measures for the community, were rejected. -- (UNI) -- 26DI34.xml -- DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England
