Christians protest against church attack in Madhya Pradesh

Jabalpur, Sept 20 : Christians in Japabalpur took out a protest march against the attack on a 150-year-old cathedral.

The incident in Madhya Pradesh comes on the heels of a series of attacks against churches in Orissa and Karnataka.

Christian devotees formed human chain, offered prayers and marched through the streets of the city and urged shopkeepers to down shutters.

They demanded immediate action against the culprits.

"We have asked the administration and Chief Minister to arrest the people involved. A judicial inquiry should be conducted and security should be provided to all our institutions," said Bishop Jerold Almed of the Jabalpur cathedral.

Officials said efforts were on to nab the miscreants.

"Police have lodged the case against unidentified people and are trying to arrest the people involved," said D. K. Nagendra, sub-divisional magistrate of Sadar cantonment area of Jabalpur.

The cathedral was set to fire by a mob here on Thursday night.

The altar and statues inside the 150-year-old St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in the cantonment area of Jabalpur were burnt in the fire. The church was closed at the time.

As the news spread across the city, a large Christian crowd gathered outside the church leading to a clash with the police.

On Sunday, suspected activists of Bajrang Dal attacked at least nine churches in Karnataka, protesting alleged conversion of Hindus to Christianity.

ANI