Christian council condemns arrest of Bishop by Rajasthan police

New Delhi, Mar 16 (UNI) The All India Christian Council today condemned the arrest of Bishop Samuel Thomas of the Kota's Emmanuel Mission by the Rajasthan police and termed it as a violation of all established Human Rights conventions and protocol accorded to a religious leader.

Reacting to the arrest of Bishop Samuel Thomas this morning from Noida for allegedly distributing the banned book 'Hakikat' containing derogatory remarks about Hindu gods, the Christian Council said,''By pointing a revolver at his head while arresting him, the police humiliated a man of such stature and caliber and equated him to a criminal of a dangerous character.'' On the charge against Bishop Thomas of allegedly distributing the banned book 'Hakikat', the Council said,''Hakikat is a work they have neither authored nor published. It just happens to be one of the titles available at the Emmanuel Missions' book store in Kota.'' Describing the Bishop's arrest as an attempt to humiliate him and his organisation, the council said,''The book, which is accused of insulting Hindu dieties and Gods, has been written by Mr M G Mathews for Truth and life publications and has nothing to do with Bishop Thomas and his father except that it was on the shelf of the bookstore of the Mission they run for destitutes and orphans in the country.'' ''The book is one more excuse to target these wonderful people who spent all their life in the service of orphans and lepers of the country,''the council said.

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