On Thursday night, two days ago, miscreants attacked the Church of St Alphonsa in Kankanady. The altar and tabernacle were desecrated; statues and the Holy Cross were broken. Apparently the purpose is to intimidate Christians who, in the eyes of a section of fanatics, are a despised minority who slavishly adhere to a Western religion and culture. I read about this attack yesterday in Daijiworld and also here.
Kankanady is a well-known locality in Mangalore. Fr Muller's Hospital - among the best in the district - is a landmark here. Several churches, convents and educational institutions are in the vicinity. The area has a sizeable Christian community. Incidentally, I was born in Kankanady!
This is the latest in a series of attacks on churches that took place in Karnataka in recent years. Under the guise of preventing 'forcible conversions' by Christian missionaries, right wing politicians condone such vandalism. The police are unhelpful. Often the guilty do not get punished. In places like Kandhamal in 2008 there was organized violence against tribal Christians. See these images. Most of the miscreants literally got away with large scale arson and murder perpetrated on the Christians.
Ironically, the Chief Minister of Karnataka under whose rule many deliberate acts of vandalism happened, was himself deposed and arrested for corruption and nepotism. Currently he is in jail, awaiting trial.
Kankanady is a well-known locality in Mangalore. Fr Muller's Hospital - among the best in the district - is a landmark here. Several churches, convents and educational institutions are in the vicinity. The area has a sizeable Christian community. Incidentally, I was born in Kankanady!
This is the latest in a series of attacks on churches that took place in Karnataka in recent years. Under the guise of preventing 'forcible conversions' by Christian missionaries, right wing politicians condone such vandalism. The police are unhelpful. Often the guilty do not get punished. In places like Kandhamal in 2008 there was organized violence against tribal Christians. See these images. Most of the miscreants literally got away with large scale arson and murder perpetrated on the Christians.
Ironically, the Chief Minister of Karnataka under whose rule many deliberate acts of vandalism happened, was himself deposed and arrested for corruption and nepotism. Currently he is in jail, awaiting trial.
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