MUMBAI, December 4: Christians all over the city observed National Protest Day today, to highlight the incidents of attack on the community. Prayer services and meetings were held all over the city to mark the day.According to Hansel D'Souza, spokesperson of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, around 40 meetings were held and were attended by various Christian leaders. Thousands of people participated in the meets. The 65 units of the Sabha also organised prayer services in their areas. The Bombay Catholic Sabha represents around 5 lakh catholics in the cityA human chain was formed from Gorai to Borivli station, in which around 3,500 people participated. Students of St Aloysius H School and residents of Gorai participated in this endeavour.Another human chain was organised at Mahakali, in which 3,000 people participated.According to D'Souza, the meetings would go a long way in sensitising people about the problems faced by the Christian community. Bishop Oswald Gracius adds that the meetings would help in``awakening the nation to the harassment faced by the community.''``The number of crimes against the community has been increasing in the last one and a half years. In Gujarat alone, 40 cases were reported in the last six to eight months,'' says D'Souza. In Maharashtra, similar incidents had been reported in Latur and Ambernath. According to statistics released by the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, more cases of violence against the community were registered in 1998 alone than between 1964 and 1997.A procession was taken out at Malad and a meeting held at St Anne's High Ground at Orlem in the evening. At the public rally, Nikhil Wagle, editor of Mahanagar, Teesta Setalvad, editor of Communalism Combat, and Advocate Colin Gonsalves spoke.All Christian institutions, including schools and colleges, remained closed today. Some NGOs like the Voice of the Exploited (VOTE), Ekta, Indian Centre for Human Rights and Law, also organised protests.The Diocese of Vasai organised a peace march, followedby an inter-religious prayer service at the Vasai cricket ground. The Diocese has demanded a judicial probe into the attacks on the Christian community.
