Hindu activists accuse Christian missionaries of defaming their festivals – Issues India

By Issues India Reporter

Khandwa, Oct 26, 2022: Proper wing Hindu activists have burnt firecrackers in entrance of a Catholic college in Madhya Pradesh state to protest the staging a avenue play on environmental safety and secure celebration of Diwali, the competition of lights.

The protesters burst firecrackers earlier than St Joseph’s Convent College beneath the diocese of Khandwa, on the evening of October 25, a day after Diwali, a preferred Hindu competition. They accused the Christian missionaries of defaming Hindu festivals.

The college authorities, nonetheless, denied the allegations that their youngsters focused Hindu competition. “We by no means meant to focus on anyone or any faith or its competition,” Sister Neha Mathew, the college principal, instructed Issues India on October 26.

The member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery mentioned their college students had tried to speak message of celebrating the Diwali competition safely and that there was nothing towards Hindu faith or its traditions.”

The nun additionally added that the scholars and academics collectively rejoice Diwali in her college and regretted that somebody had tried to provide a real object a communal colour.

The Hindu activists have been enraged at a avenue play the scholars and academics of the Catholic college staged within the city on October 21 to create consciousness about environmental safety and the necessity for celebrating Diwali safely.

The protesters accused the Catholic college of intentionally focusing on the Hindu competition by way of the play claiming that cracking firecrackers would result in environmental air pollution, a cost the college authorities denied.

On Diwali individuals beautify their homes, places of work and even authorities buildings with lights and burst firecrackers as a part of the celebration.

Typically the intensive use of firecrackers throughout Diwali results in environmental air pollution particularly in main cities corresponding to New Delhi, the nationwide capital, and efforts are on to advertise environmental pleasant firecrackers to keep away from air pollution.

The protestors claiming themselves as representing all the the Hindu group, alleged that “the target of the play was to focus on Hindu group as its focus was that the burning firecrackers would result in environmental air pollution.”

Additionally they warned the Christian missionaries of great penalties in case the identical is repeated and even threatened to beat them up.

“That is our first and final warning,” mentioned a protester. He instructed media individuals that the Christian missionaries have been making an attempt to denigrate the Hindu faith and its festivals and such acts wouldn’t be tolerated.

Mentioning that Christians burst firecrackers on Christmas they requested, “Wouldn’t it not trigger environmental air pollution?”.

Additionally they vowed to guard Hindu faith and its festivals.

Father Jaya Alex, the general public relations officer of the diocese, additionally condemned focusing on Christians for no causes.

The priest, in a press release, mentioned some individuals focused Christian establishments, particularly these managed by Catholics, to create communal divide in society.

The Christian group, Father Alex added, “Doesn’t discriminate anybody on the premise of faith, caste, creed or different issues.”

Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a number of such incidents prior to now and Christians accused proper wing Hindu teams of focusing on them even after doing a lot of selfless providers for the development of the poor and the downtrodden.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Occasion now guidelines the central Indian state. Christians make up simply 0.29 p.c of greater than 71 million inhabitants, majority of them Hindus.

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