New Delhi, Feb 5 (NDTV): A large number of policemen today swooped down on a protest in Delhi against church attacks, and dragged priests, nuns and even children into buses.
The protest outside the Sacred Heart cathedral in the heart of the city was "unlawful", said the police. Scores of protesters were manhandled and bundled into buses, their bags, shoes and other belongings left scattered on the road.
Father Dominic Emanuel, the spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, was also forced into a bus and taken away.
"What kind of justice is this? Shame on the police. The Prime Minister speaks on everything, why not on this?" said a furious priest, questioning overzealous action on what was meant to be a peaceful protest.
An elderly woman activist, who lay on the road, was picked up by four policewomen and thrown into a bus.
A disproportionately large police force outnumbered protesters and the commotion caused traffic jams in one of the capital's busiest commercial areas, situated not far from top government offices, the Parliament building and ministers' homes.
Christian groups had organized a silent march to highlight what they called lack of serious police action in recent attacks on churches. They said they would march to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence.
"We are detaining people. No one has the right to protest on the road. They can't just march to the home minister's residence. We have to protect the residence of VIPs," said senior police officer Mukesh Kumar Meena. He admitted there were no prohibitory orders in place but said security has been tightened ahead of the Delhi assembly polls on Saturday.
Activists, some of them holding crosses and rosaries, chanted "We want Justice" and held up posters that said: "Stop violence against Christians."
There have been five attacks on churches since December.
In the latest incident earlier this week, the St Alphonsa's Church in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj was vandalised. The police called it robbery and even filed an FIR or First Information Report citing a break-in.
A church in west Delhi's Vikaspuri was vandalized last month. The police said three men caught on camera and arrested were drunk and attacked the church on a dare.
Some Christian groups suspect a pattern of orchestrated attacks, and say the police are undermining them.
Earlier Report
Protests over church attack ahead of polls in the capital
Just ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, scores of Delhilites have come together for a protest march over the recent church attacks and governments inaction in the case, according to TV reports.
The protesters will be marching from the Scared Heart Church till Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence in Delhi.
It's a silent protest to express our anguish over government's inaction in the church attack cases, said a protester to TV reporters.
The protesters demand an answer as to why police has not taken any action against the miscreants and why the government is silent.
The Delhi police has reached the spot and is detaining the protesters.
A church was vandalised by unidentified miscreants in South Delhi's Vasant Kunj area on Feb 2, 2015.
This is the fifth such attack on a church since November last year.
Last month, a church was vandalised in West Delhi's Vikaspuri area. In December, the St Sebastian's Church in Dilshad Garden, was partly gutted and the Christian community had alleged foul play in the incident.