‘Less than 1% Christians’: VHP, Bajrangdal oppose construction of Church in Gurugram; follows Christmas vandalism | India News
NEW DELHI: Just a day after causing disruptions to Christmas celebrations nationwide, Hindu outfits took part in a mahapanchayat in Gurugram on Friday to warn against the construction of a church.At the panchayat comprising several villages, VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders questioned the construction, arguing that the local Christian population was “less than 1 percent compared to about 10,000 Hindu families”.Yashwant Shekhawat from Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Surendra Tawar from Bajrang Dal said there were “no Christian families” living around the village, as quoted by news agency PTI.The groups and some villagers said they feared the church could be a front for religious conversion activities.Sandeep Kumar, head of Teekli village, said land was bought from a local farmer by members of the Christian community and an application for change of land use was later submitted, which was initially rejected. He further said that the assurances were given that no church would be built on the land, but the land use change was later approved and construction work was started.A 52-member committee was formed during the meeting. The committee decided it would meet the Gurugram deputy commissioner on Monday and submit a memorandum addressed to the chief minister, outlining their objections to the construction.
Hooliganism on Christmas
Reports of vandalism emerged during Christmas celebrations in several states. Incidents were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Odisha, where Christian groups alleged vandalism, intimidation and harassment during Christmas events. In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a BJP official was accused of assaulting a visually impaired Christian woman during a children’s feast, and church services were disrupted by groups. In Palakkad, Kerala, an RSS worker was reported to have attacked children singing carols and damaged their musical instruments, while pressure from right-wing groups led some schools to cancel Christmas programmes.
