Hisar church priest accused of conversions
The villagers filed a complaint against the Father after the police registered a case against 14 locals who were allegedly involved in breaking the wall of under-construction Believers Church in the village and triggering tension in the area. Fr Masih was away at the time of the incident.
In a new twist to the Hisar church vandalisation case, the residents of Kaimri village on Monday accused Father Subhash Chand Masih of conversions and beating up a local.
The villagers filed a complaint against the Father after the police registered a case against 14 locals who were allegedly involved in breaking the wall of under-construction Believers Church in the village and triggering tension in the area. Fr Masih was away at the time of the incident.
The issue also figured in the Haryana Assembly on Monday. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told the Assembly that the Hisar police had registered a case against the Father for assaulting a local youth, Umed Singh, who had reportedly run away from a prayer session where Hindu gods were allegedly being insulted.
"Umed Singh has complained against Fr Subhash Chand Masih that he was taken to the church, where Hindu gods were being insulted. When he objected, he was beaten up," Khattar told the Assembly.
Khattar also said that the local youth have accused Fr Masih of luring the boys for conversions with the promise of getting them married and offering money. Though the chief minister said that strict action would be taken against the guilty, he also warned that "any wrong intention will also be looked into".
Khattar also informed the House members that Fr Masih had bought a 250-sq yard plot in Ram Nagar Colony and had constructed two rooms and a hall without any door or window.
He said that the villagers had objected on February 8 when Fr Masih started teaching Biblical verses to nearly 12 construction workers.
"That issue was settled and Fr Masih had left the village for a week. When he returned on March 13, he found the under-construction church wall vandalised and the cross replaced with an idol of Hanuman. He then lodged a police complaint against 14 persons?. The residents of the village met the Hisar deputy commissioner on Monday and complained against Fr Masih," Khattar said.
Meanwhile, the priest has also accused the activists of Bajrang Dal of threatening him. He also claimed that the allegations being levelled against him were false.
"I was threatened by Bajrang Dal activists and other locals last month. They asked me not to construct a church on the land. The allegations of conversion being levelled against me are false," Fr Masih said.
The complainant said that the accused fragmented the cross and installed the statue of Hanuman and a flag depicting Lord Ram and threatened to kill him. He alleged that they stole a cooler and some items from the under-construction place of worship.
Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in connection with the vandalisation of the church building. Tension prevails in the area, with the villagers demanding that cases be withdrawn against those among the booked who were not involved in the incident.
The Home Ministry has asked the Haryana government for a report on the case and the action taken by it. The Centre also asked the Haryana government to take steps to protect minority religious institutions and ensure that no such incident is repeated.