On Sunday morning, few members from Hindu organizations shouting “Jai Shri Ram ” in Delhi entered a church and assaulted the members of the Christian community in Tahirpur between the prayers. According to a police complaint, they destroyed the premises, shouted slogans, and also caused minor injuries to one individual. The police arrested a person who had been involved in the incident and deployed security personnel at the church as a precautionary measure.
Hindu organizations involved in the incident claimed that Siyyon Prathna Bhawan in North East Delhi’s Tahirpur was allegedly using objectionable language for the Hindu religion, and pretended to be a part of their prayers. A video was captured by a church member after the incident portraying overturned furniture and damaged musical instruments scattered across the prayer room. The individuals affected by the attack said that the accused were members of Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
According to the police, Church members, who had gone to the nearby GTB Enclave Police Station to file a complaint, had encountered an aggressive mob that was also raising slogans there. Officially a case has been registered, and the police are in the process of identifying the individuals responsible for this attack, by analyzing the video footage from security cameras located near the church. The police said that the FIRs have been registered based on complaints from both sides.
The police have filed charges against some unidentified individuals under various sections of the (IPC) Indian Penal Code, including Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 295 (destruction of a place of worship), 296 (Disturbing religious assembly), 298 (words intended to wound religious feelings), 354 (using force against a woman), and 153A (promoting enmity based on religion).
Pastor Satpal Bhati complained to the police that, “the attack took place during a prayer meeting around 10.40 am. He said that the mob vandalized the images of Jesus and also tried to tear the Bible. Nearly 100 mobs from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had gathered outside and shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and few men were dragged outside before beating them. He said that he had never faced a situation like this in over 10 years.
Bhati expressed to The Wire that, “People no longer feel secure in their own homeland, leaving them in a weaker situation. For 13 years, we have been peacefully praying here, and today’s events were strange. The Christian community lives in a state of constant anxiety, worrying about their safety.”
A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has made an allegation that the church was engaged in attempts to convert Hindus. Anmol ,a worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during an interaction with The Wire questioned, “Why did they choose to pray in an area where Hindus are the majority?” “With our festival, Rakshabandhan, just around the corner, we are determined not to permit any conversion-related activities in our vicinity,” he said.
