New Delhi, 05 Feb 2015: Hundreds of young men and women members of the Christian community were detained – scores of them physically dragged to police vans – when they were peacefully demonstrating against series of attacks on churches in the last couple of months in the national capital.

Protestors outside the Sacred Heart Cathedral church near the Parliament House were blaming the police and government for the continued arson and vandalism at churches in Delhi. The latest attack was carried out at St. Alphonsa’s church in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area on Monday (2nd Feb). A few sacred items and a DVD player were stolen from the church, the police said. But the church’s administration claimed it did not seem to be just an incident of theft. That was the fifth church attack in the capital in two months.

Among those physically dragged into the police bus were Father Dominic Emmanuel. “Police have unleashed atrocities on us. They have picked us from the Church. Police should be ashamed of their acts, said Father Emmanuel speaking to the media from the window of the police van.

Talking to IndiaTomorrow.net, moments before being detained, Father Emmanuel said: "You can see here more police than people. It is a shame for the police and the government that they do such kind of things. Churches are being attacked and when we are raising our voice they are suppressing us."

He was infuriated at some policeman calling him terrorist. But policemen around him denied this.

One of the detained protestor told IndiaTomorrow.net from the window of the police bus: "They have detained us because we are protesting against atrocities on the Christians. We want to seek justice. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian all are equal. Are Christians third-grade citizen of this country? We are making sacrifices for the country. We are serving the country through schools, hospitals. Aren’t we citizen of this country? We also have right to live here."

“We don’t demand anything. We just want our right to live,” said he as last words before the police bus took him and many others away from the protest site. 

Hundreds of other protestors were pushed inside the Church campus. One of the protestors said they wanted to protest at Jantar Mantar area but were not allowed, but now they were not being allowing to hold demonstration even outside their church.

Chronology of church attacks in Delhi

1^st Dec 2014: A Catholic church was gutted in fire in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden area.

6^th Dec 2014: Some unidentified people threw stones at Our Lady of Fatima Forane Church at Jasola in south Delhi and broke window panes during the evening Mass.

4^th Jan 2015: A minor fire was reported from a church in Rohini in west Delhi.  The Christmas crib outside was charred.

14^th Jan 2015: Our Lady of Graces Church was vandalized at Vikaspuri in west Delhi.

2^nd Feb 2015: St. Alphonsa’s church in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area was ransacked and a few sacred items and a DVD player were stolen.