CHRISTIAN WEBSITE NEWS ON HINDU TAKEOVER OF A PONDY CHURCH..EXAGGERATED !

HINDU MILITANT THREAT TO TAKE OVER PONDICHERRY CATHEDRAL STIRS PROTEST

 India March 10 1994 

A Hindu militant group´s move to take over a Catholic cathedral in southern India has evoked widespread protest in the country. The group previously claimed another cathedral, saying it too is on a temple site. The federal government deployed security forces around Immaculate Conception Cathedral Church in Pondicherry March 7 after Hindu Munnani (HM, Hindu front) activists planned to stage a prayer service in it March 10. They abandoned the plan after political and religious leaders protested, but the controversy reportedly has sullied Hindu-Christian relations in Pondicherry state. HM activists say they plan to claim more churches in southern India. In an interview in the Hindustan Times March 7, HM president Rama Gopalan staked claim to the Velankanni shrine, a Marian pilgrim center in Tamil Nadu. "Hindus must get back our temples vandalized by Christians," he demanded. They earlier claimed San Thome Cathedral in Madras, the Tamil Nadu state capital, was previously the site of a Hindu temple. HM, a Hindu fundamental group based mainly in neighboring Tamil Nadu, claims the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pondicherry stands on the site of a Hindu temple dedicated to their destroyer god, Shiva. Pondicherry´s former French rulers destroyed the temple, they said. The former colony was transferred to India March 16, 1963. The cathedral, a blend of French and Portuguese architecture, was built by Jesuits in 1748. Located 2,320 kilometers south of New Delhi, the church has many tombs, where French Jesuits were buried. HM general secretary V. Selvam says Hindus have a right "to retrieve the temple." Controversy arose after two HM activists entered the church to burn camphor to "Lord Shiva" at the altar to assert it is a Hindu place of worship. Archbishop Michael Augustine of Pondicherry, however, says HM activists want a "fictitious temple" to create communal disharmony in the region. "It is a clever move to whip up communal passions and hatred between religious communities in Pondicherry," Archbishop Augustine told the biennial meeting of the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of India in New Delhi March 2. Pondicherry´s Interreligious Fraternal Life Committee submitted a memorandum to the state chief minister urging him "to curb HM´s activities,"warning of communal riots if the Hindu extremist group persists in its demand. Federal Home Minister S.B. Chavan assured the Indian parliament March 4 that his government would take "stringent action against the Hindu leaders if they persisted in their claim." He asserted his government will not allow an "Ayodhya-type situation" in Pondicherry, referring to the mosque in Ayodhya, northern India, destroyed by Hindu zealots Dec. 6, 1992, triggering countrywide Hindu-Muslim riots. Father George Pereira, CBCI deputy secretary general, said HM leaders are trying to create "an Ayodhya in Pondicherry." Criticizing the HM move, he told UCA News March 8 the government should act immediately to protect the church. The CBCI spokesperson said only a "small fanatic group" has demanded the church and their aim is only to create interreligious tension. "Protect the church, otherwise the Hindu groups will destroy peace in India," he added. M.M. Jacob, a Catholic member of parliament and former federal minister, called the HM claim "highly objectionable." He told UCA News "destruction or capturing places of worship" has become a "a fine art" for some Hindu groups. "It should be nipped in the bud," he added. Jacob also said the controversy was whipped up by a few Hindu fundamentalists seeking cheap publicity. He said the Congress government will not allow any political party to create communal divisions among people. Political and religious leaders warned that the HM move causes a "delicate international problem." In 1963 Indo-French bilateral agreement, India promised to ensure proper maintenance of the French tombs in Pondicherry.

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