2nd church burned in Punjab as Hindu radicals assault pastors

February 23, 2010

Hindu extremists have burned down a second Protestant church in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab. They have also assaulted the pastors and robbed their homes.

The conflict began when nuns in the northeastern state of Meghalaya noticed a blasphemous image of Christ in a children’s textbook. The image portrays Christ holding a bottle of beer and a cigarette and called Christ an “idol.” After the nuns urged parents to write the state government in protest, the government pulled the book from circulation.

The subsequent public display of the image in Punjab led to peaceful Christian protests. After some young Christians tried to remove the poster from a Hindu market, violence broke out throughout the city of Jalandhar.

While police have arrested some Christians, no Hindus have been arrested.

 

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Further information:

• Blasphemous image of Christ, clashes, two churches destroyed, curfew established in Punjab (Fides)
• India: blasphemous cartoon sparks new religious violence (CWN, 2/22)