Fear grips Kashmiri Christians

Fear grips Kashmiri Christians

Shock and awe has gripped the minuscule Christian community in strife-torn Kashmir following the series of incidents in the last few months. Fear-stricken Christians have written to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention to safeguard the community and their religious places in the valley. This followed after an attempt to set ablaze Holy Family Catholic Church in Srinagar on last Wednesday. “There is a fear in a sense that if one more attempt is made which can be dangerous. There is an anxiety (among Christians)”, said Father Mathew Thomas of Holy Family Catholic Church. It started in November when Jammu and Kashmir police arrested Reverend CM Khanna of All Saints Church on charges of spreading discord and creating enmity between two religions. Two months later some unknown men set ablaze the motorbike of the parish priest. In April, J&K Police arrested a Christian couple on charges of “promoting enmity” when they were allegedly distributing pamphlets about Christianity in the border township of Bandipora in north Kashmir.