Memo seeks NCM action in Batala incident

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) was Wednesday requested to pay an official visit to Batala in Punjab where violence last month led to churches being vandalised and burnt.

A delegation of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) yesterday met with the NCM chairperson Mohammad Shafi Qureshi and informed him on the Feb. 20 violence, seeking "assistance and assurance to see that Punjab does not become another Orissa".

NCCI submitted a memorandum in which it demanded a probe to "study the linkage of the violence" and the "role of Punjab government's intelligence wing".

The Protestant council called for a "genuine inter-faith peace committee to be installed in Batala" and demanded "permanent measures to establish and maintain peace to be researched and adopted."

Violence was triggered in Batala following the publication of a poster depicting Jesus Christ in an objectionable manner. Two churches were burnt and several Christians injured in the ensuing violence.

NCCI demanded both "Central and State Governments to genuinely provide compensation to all the individuals, presbyters and the churches which were affected and attacked during the riot."

It also urged the government of Punjab to "use all means at its disposal to protect all the places of worship so that they are sanctuaries of peace and safety."

Rev. Christopher Rajkumar of NCCI told Christian Today that the NCM chairperson expressed grief and assured to send an official enquiry team to investigate the incident.

"It is ridiculous. We cannot tolerate such attacks against minorities," Qureshi is said to have told the delegation.

A copy of the memorandum has also been sent to Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal.