Christian persecution peaks amid impunity in pandemic-era India
Religious freedom suffers in the push for a majoritarian or Hindu nation framework in India with laws targeting minorities
Catholics pray during the Good Friday service at a church in East Delhi on April 14, 2019. (Photo: UCA News)
The absolute sense of impunity generated in the administrative apparatus of India by the pandemic lockdowns, and the consequent absence of civil society on the streets and in the courts, has aggravated targeted hate and violence against Christians by non-state actors in major states and the National Capital territory, as seen in the 327 or so cases recorded up to December 2020.
Indian Christians appeal for change of poll date
The election for Tripura tribal area s district council falls on Easter Sunday
Christians from northeast India hold a protest in New Delhi in August 2017 against the denial of the burial of a Catholic woman in Manipur. (Photo: Bijay Kumar Minj/UCA News)
Christians in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura have expressed disappointment over the date of the election for the Tripura tribal area autonomous district council (TTAADC).
The state election commission announced on March 2 that the election will be on April 4, Easter Sunday.
“Easter is the culmination of the week-long obligatory observance of faith for all Christians around the world. Elections held on Easter Sunday would certainly hamper their wholehearted participation in the electoral process,” Father Joseph Pulinthanath, spokesman for Agartala Diocese that covers Tripura state, said in a press note.
Christians in Tripura Upset over TTAADC Poll Dates Scheduled to be held on Easter Day sentinelassam.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sentinelassam.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Indian Christians oppose Saraswati worship circular
Directive by Daman s administration requires mandatory veneration of the Hindu goddess of knowledge
Catholics in Delhi Archdiocese pray on Palm Sunday on April 4, 2017. A rights group says there has been a rise in the number of attacks on Christians in India. (Photo: Bijay Kumar Minj/UCA News)
An Indian human rights group that monitors atrocities against Christians has expressed opposition to a directive by Daman s administration requiring the mandatory veneration of the Hindu goddess of knowledge.
The New Delhi-based United Christian Forum (UFC) has also urged the administration and the Directorate of Education of Daman to immediately withdraw the circular.