Christians to take out solidarity rally in Siliguri

EOI, SILIGURI, 21 Mar 2015: The United Christian Forum of Siliguri will take out a peace rally in town on Monday to express solidarity with the elderly nun who was allegedly sexually assaulted at the Jesus and Mary Convent in Ranaghat, Nadia on March 13, and also to condemn the repeated attacks on churches in the state over the past few months. 

Forum president Eld. Joshua Pradhan, the convener of the rally, said the march from St Mary’s Church in Pradhan Nagar to the Bagajatin Park is to show their solidarity and sympathy to the victims of attacks. 

“We want to create awareness in society on the importance of non-violence, democracy and respect for women,” he said. “We have given a call to people from all backgrounds to participate in the rally. There are around 60-70 churches in the region, and we expect more than 10,000 Christians to attend the march,” added Pradhan. 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for The Missionaries of Charity said, "We can't imagine such inhuman torture on an elderly nun who has devoted her life for the service of humanity. It's a shame." “A series of attacks on churches in recent months is another reason that has prompted us to take out the rally,” said Rev Abhilak Thakur of the Church of North India, adding the repeated assaults raise questions on whether constitutional guarantees are applicable to the Christian community.
In the latest incident this week, St Alphonsa's Church in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area was vandalised. The police insisted it was a burglary. Another Catholic church was vandalised by two unidentified men in west Delhi's Vikaspuri on January 14, weeks after the home ministry directed the Delhi police to install CCTV cameras inside and around all religious places. 

On January 3, the Christmas Crib at Rohini's Church of Resurrection got burnt mysteriously. The windows of Our Lady of Fatima Forane Church in Okhla were broken during evening mass on December 7 last year by unidentified persons.