Catholic body condemns attack on US missionaries in Maharashtra, demands probe

Mumbai – The Bombay Catholic Sabha [BCS] has openly condemned the unwarranted and merciless attack on the US missionaries at Malwani village, Malad on June 11.

“It has become a regular norm for communal forces to target Christian groups on the standard pretext excuse that they are indulging in conversion. And then physically attack such groups,” said Dolphy D’souza, president, BCS.

“We feel the police authorities have not been fair in handling this sensitive situation,” he said. “Why only 2 out of the 20 culprits were arrested is a question that needs an answer. We demand that the rest of the miscreants are arrested immediately.”

The Catholic body, in a press release, has also questioned the procedure by which the police had produced the accused before the court. “Another interesting factor is why the urgency in which the Police produced the accused in the holiday court on Sunday, June 12 and by the evening they were released on bail. Normally in any other situation, the accused would have been in the police custody and produced in the regular Court on the following working day i.e. June 13. We need answers to these type of actions by the police authorities,” the press release stated.

“The Chief Minister and the Home Minister should be vigilant enough to ensure that communal forces do not rear their ugly heads to create communal disharmony and create an atmosphere of fear among the minorities,” D’souza urged.