Mumbai: Citizens gathered at Goregaon on Friday evening to condemn incidents of hate and intimidation targetting Christian communities during the Christmas season.
Christian Leaders Highlight Increasingly Normalized Attacks
The protest was organised by the Samvidhan Jaagar Yatra Samiti (SJYS) and The Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), one of the city’s oldest Catholic lay groups. The gathering at S V Road, Goregaon, drew community members, civil society representatives, and concerned citizens who stood silently with placards denouncing hate and religious violence. The placards referred to Constitutional values, religious freedom, and the need for state accountability. The protestors condemned what they described as a 'systematic assault on constitutional freedoms.'
Christian groups warned that such actions are becoming increasingly normalised, often occurring with little immediate intervention. Dolphy D’Souza, spokesperson of the BCS, said that, over the past week, multiple reports from different parts of the country have documented disruptions of Christmas prayers, vandalism of churches, intimidation of worshippers, and threats issued in the name of preventing 'forced conversions.'
Attacks Threaten Core Constitutional Freedoms
“Such attacks are not isolated law-and-order issues. They strike at the heart of our Constitution — at the freedom of conscience, the right to profess and practise religion, and the right to worship without fear,” said Dolphy D’Souza, spokesperson of the BCS, while inviting people to join the protest.
Teesta Setalvad, secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, who joined the protests, said that recent systemic attacks across the country on Christians across several states is not just shocking but reflected a level of impunity that the wrongdoers enjoy. "Swift public condemnation from political social and literary figures is called for. This timely peaceful protest by Christians and fellow citizens was just that: the beginning of Indians calling for peace and constitutional governance," said Setalvad.
Speakers Stress the Threat to Religious Freedom
Alex Dsouza from the BCS' Goregaon unit said that the brutal intimidating tactics and attacks undermines Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the right ght to worship without fear.
Professor Arvind Nigle, Sridhar Shelar and Iqbal Shaikh, convenors of the SJYS. Former corporator, Samir Desai of Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the protestors. President of BCS, Norbert Mendonca said this was the beginning of a systematic campaign against the targeted attacks.
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