Christians condemn attack on Manipur church, hold protest

Jalandhar, June 28

Members of the Punjab Christian Movement on Wednesday held a demonstration outside the district administrative complex condemning the vandalisation of churches in Manipur and against the Centre’s plan for implementation of Uniform Civil Code.

The members led by Hamid Masih, chief, Punjab Christian Movement, handed over a memorandum to the administrative officials which was addressed to the President of India. The members demanded suspension of the Manipur government and formulation of Judicial Commission for the failure of law and order machinery for not protecting the lives and religious properties of the Christians there. An effigy of Manipur government was also burnt by protesters.

“The tribal dispute between Metei and Kuki took an ugly turn to massacre Christians in the state of Manipur. Thousands of people are living in refugee camps to secure their lives for the fear of being lynched. The hearts of the Christians living in India have been deeply hurt and broken”, they said.

Raise objections on UCC

Being members of the Christian community, they also raised objections regarding the proposed implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. “We believe that such a code would not be in the best interest of our community and would adversely affect our religious and cultural rights. Christianity has its own distinct customs, traditions, and practices. The implementation of a UCC would infringe upon our religious freedom by disregarding the specific provisions and personal laws that govern our community. We believe that the right to practice our faith and follow our religious laws should be protected and respected. Our minority rights, need to be protected,” the Christian leaders said.