Bishops condemn attack on Christian pilgrims in central India
KCO Reporter - April 2025
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on April 1 condemned an attack on Christian pilgrims at Jabalpur, the judicial capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
“It is deeply distressing that the Christian community, which has played a significant role in freedom struggle and nation-building, and has always upheld constitutional values, is repeatedly targeted, harassed, and denied its fundamental right to worship by extremist and anti-national elements,” the conference said in a statement.
The statement said some Catholic priests and laypeople from Mandla parish of the Jabalpur diocese were undertaking a religious pilgrimage as part of Jubilee 2025 when they were forcibly stopped, and assaulted by extremist groups.
While the statement refrained from naming the attackers, other reports indicated they were activists of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu radical group.
The bishops termed the March 31 incident as “a shocking attack on religious freedom and human dignity.”
Among the priests attacked were the diocese’s vicar general and the procurator.
The bishops pointed out that the incident was part of a disturbing pattern and strategy to create communal polarization and hostility towards religious minorities.
They urged federal Home Minister Amit Shah and others to “urgently intervene and ensure that the constitutional rights of the Christian community are upheld.”
They also called on the Madhya Pradesh government “to take stringent action against these anti-national forces and ensure the safety and security of all minority communities.”
Jabalpur, more than 310 km east of the Madhya Pradesh capital of Bhopal, houses the state’s High Court.
(Courtsey: mattersindia)
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