Mangalore: Protest against church attacks begins! Outside the Milagres Hall an irate group of people have gathered to protest against the attack on the churches in Mangalore. The DC had earlier ordered for the people to clear the streets but the people have not heeded. The Hampankatta area experienced tension. The police have quelled the mob. There were also efforts to close the shops forcibly which was prevented by the police. The group of people who have gathered outside Milagres hall include P.V. Mohan, Vinay Kumar Sorake, Abhay Chandra, Ivan D’Souza, Louis Pinto, Roy Castellino, Denis D’Silva, U.T. Khader etc. Right now they are speaking to the crowd that has assembled here. P.V. Mohan called for immediate action to be taken against the Bajrang Dal activists who had done this. He condemned the act and said this kind of violence should not be encouraged in an otherwise peaceful society. Vinay kumar Sorake speaking forcefully said that there is no religion without humanity. He said all peaceful Hindus were with the Christians in their time of need. He said all our religions teaches the same thing - we are therefore one. Whoever has done this to destroy peace should be called as terrorists and we should condemn it. He said 95% of the Hindus are peace loving and it is only the remaining 5% that are responsible for the attacks.
U.T. Khader urged the people to recognise the motive behind the attacks. He said it is politically motivated to bring about the divide and rule policy. Ivan D’Souza also spoke and said that if the miscreants were not arrested, the people would form themselves into three groups and go on an indefinite hunger strike. The protest continues on the road outside the Milagres hall and the crowd is growing larger by the minute. Judging by the seriousness of the situation, it does not bode well for the peace in Mangalore in the days to come. The district police have clamped prohibitory orders in Mangalore. Previous report [Posted: Sept 14, 2008 - 1:00pm] In an incident that has shocked the peace loving Christians of Mangalore, a group of persons claiming to be from the RSS group have entered the Adoration Monastery Chapel at Milagres and desecrated the blessed sacrament and broken everything they could get their hands on. Fr. Prakash Monteiro from the Bishop’s house speaking to Mangalorean.com informed that the incident occurred at 10:15 am today. He said the miscreants entered the chapel by breaking two windows. The chapel is being run by the cloistered carmel sisters, where Sr. Mary Carmel is the Mother Superior. Speaking to Mangalorean.com, the nuns of the Cloistered Carmel said that a group of youth about eight in number barged into the chapel around 10:15 am and started attacking everything in sight. The cloistered nuns were inside the enclosure and heard the sounds. There were about three lay people praying in the chapel. One of the persons who was praying caught hold of the youth who was climbing the altar and tried to stop him from breaking the sacrament but he did not succeed. The nuns said the sacrament fell on the floor and broke. The miscreants then went on a rampage and broke the crucifix, the oil lamps, the vases on the altar and then proceeded to destroy the statues. Eye witnesses in the chapel said they were armed with big stones and heavy sticks. The nuns said though they tried to break the statue of Mother Mary by beating it with the stones, it did not break and not a scratch is seen on it. However, they did manage to break the statues of St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier. People who have gathered around this area are shocked and in tears. The whole attack took about four to five minutes. The person who tried to stop them from desecrating the sacrament was also beaten up and is hospitalised. The police are on the premises now. Similar attacks have taken place in Belthangady, Kodaikal, Chikmangalore and Udupi Koloor, Chickmangalore, Kundapur, Karkal, Koppa, Balehanoor and Moodbidri. State on alert Five Bajrang Dal activists arrested- TV channel footage helped police. The arrested activists are being interrogated by the police in Mangalore. Following the reports of the attacks on churches in Mangalore,Chikmgalur and Udupi the state police department has alerted its district units and placed special police force in every district. According the directions issued from the State Special Additional Director General of Police (internal security) Neelam Achuta Rao all churches will be given security. Following the attacks on the churches and prayer halls the police in Mangalore, Udupi and Chikmgalur have started exchanging details about the Bajrang Dal. Bajrang Dal claims The Bajrang Dal has accepted the responsibility for the attacks and according to the state convenor of Bajrag Dal Mahendra Kumar who clarified that no Catholic churches have been attacked but only the prayer halls belonging to New Life sect in these districts namely Dakshina Kannada, Chikmagalur and Udupi. In Chikmagalur Magodu, Jayapura, Balehonnur prayers have been attacked. He said more attacks were on the cards. Mr.Kumar told that the Bajrang Dal activists found anti Hindu literature written in desparaging language in the possesion of the devotees of the New Life sect at the time of attacks. He warned if the New Life missionaries did not stop spreading canards on Hindu religion more attacks would follow. Click here for photo album Forwarded by Goa's Pride - http://www.goa-world.com http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=_Avn6_AepNw&feature=related Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter is presented by Ulysses Menezes, www.goa-world.com and moderated by Gaspar Almeida (since 1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fywTuf-9S0k&feature=email
