Increasingly, the
Narmada Samajik Kumbh, a Hindu gathering in Madhya Pradesh of some two
million people set to end on Sunday, is turning anti-Christian and
anti-Muslim in its tone.
Organised by associations that include armed
Hindu groups, the event has pushed Christian and other religious
minorities to demand government protection for fear of clashes or
violence.
Now fears have come true (see Nirmala Carvalho, “Fear of violence at a 2 million-strong Hindu gathering in Madhya Pradesh,” in AsiaNews, 9 February 2011)
“Last night some of our people went to the kumbh
(gathering) and were astonished to see anti-Christian posters,” Fr Anand
Muttungal, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, told AsiaNews.
“Some mocked the charity work of Mother Teresa. Many posters attributed
evil things to our mission work, accusing us of converting people or
enticing them to convert. Even the noble work of Mother Teresa among the
poorest of the poor was presented in a bad light. We immediately
protested with the organisers, and a member of the organising committee
(who asked for anonymity) said he would take care of the problem
immediately. Some posters were anti-Muslim as well.”
Earlier, Fr Anand Muttungal had met the Chief Minister
of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan to ask him for assurances
concerning the security of minorities.
“Last night, around 10.30 pm, I went to the kumbh.
Someone was preaching. He was attacking the Bible,” Fr George Thomas,
who runs the mission station in Mandala, told Asianew.
“He was
quoting from the Book of Genesis, telling people that it was full of
inaccuracies and falsehoods. He went on to attack the Pope, saying that
he was wrong to excommunicate Galileo, and that he should ask
forgiveness for this and other errors he made.”
Now, many fear that extremist propaganda might affect
the lives of Christians after the mass event is over.
Even though Hindu
extremists are a minority in relation to the community of faithful, they
are very aggressive.