JOIN US'Sense of fear has gripped Christians'
“After the church attack incidents, there is a sense of fear that has gripped the Christians. They are apprehensive about coming to church for prayer for two reasons, firstly the Sangh Parivar and secondly the police...”
This is the way Believers’ Church Administrative Officer Fr Joshman spoke about the condition of the Christian community in the region on Tuesday, to Somasekhara Committee Legal Advisor Hemalatha Mahishi.
He said that when the miscreants attacked Mondankaup church, they had set the church door ablaze and after the fire was extinguished the police wiped the door clean to wipe off all the evidence. This behaviour of the police has made the community point fingers at the police.
Fr Joshman said that three churches under him were attacked.
The attack has caused damage worth Rs 1 lakh in Modankaup, Rs 15,000 in Ganjimatt and Rs 25,000 in Puttur Jodumat church.
Report on cultural policing
PUCL District Convener P B D’Sa handed over a report prepared by PUCL on activities of cultural police in the district to the Commission.
‘Kandamal to Karavali,’ a work of nine human rights activists and a report by PUCL, Komu Souhardha Vedike and Bharatiya Christa Seva Sansthe on Bajrang Dal’s attack on prayer centre at Pachchanady were handed over to the Commission. Susheel Noronha from Kushalnagar said that church attack was not an accident at all as the saffron activists had distributed provocative handbill amongst the students studying in missionary schools in the city.
He said that in Pachchanady, a saffron flag with ‘om’ printed on it was mounted near the prayer hall to ignite problems.
The then secretary of Catholic Sabha Deepak D’Souza said that Mahendra Kumar, the then convenor of Bajrang Dal, had said that conversion is going on at Milagres Adoration Monastery, which is far from truth and completely baseless as the sister there never come out of their building. Further, the then IGP A M Prasad himself had said that no conversion is happening in the district.
Attack memory turns her eyes damp
For 61-year-old Dulcine Monteiro, the memory of church attack still turns her eyes damp. “I had never seen such a gruesome incident in my entire lifetime. When I think of September 14, chill runs down my spine even today,” said Dulcine to the Commission. “I saw a group of 15 to 20 men wearing saffron shawls outside my house. They were behaving in violent manner. They then pelted stones at my house. I was alone at home. I was scared and out of fear I collapsed and fell on the ground. I hurt my left leg and the pain is still fresh,” Dulcine narrated and added that even till date she cannot walk without support.
Dulcine is the wife of Lawrence Monteiro, an ex-serviceman. He had served in the Army for 22 years. They have 4 daughters who have been married off. The attack happened when Dulcine was alone at home.