Dangs meet disrupted

SURAT, Jan 3: Sunday prayers were disrupted at Diwan Temrun, two kms from Ahwa, by a crowd allegedly led by Hindu Jagaran Manch president...

SURAT, Jan 3: Sunday prayers were disrupted at Diwan Temrun, two kms from Ahwa, by a crowd allegedly led by Hindu Jagaran Manch president Janubhai Pawar. The police are looking into the complaints. District Superintendent of Police T V Gaikwad said he had learnt about the incident when a seven-member team of the National Council of Christian Churches returned from a tour of the area. The team, led by journalist John Dayal, said it had undertaken a visit of all the places, including the schools, chapels and the churches that had been attacked.

Dayal said that he had already submitted a report and the representations made by the team. Other teams, including those of the National Council of Christian Churches and the Evangelical Fellowship of India from Delhi also visited the sites and submitted reports about the burning down of chapels of various places.

However, District Collector B N Joshi could not be contacted for comment.

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Surat Range IG Mathur said he was aware that some Christians were not allowed to hold prayer meetings on Sunday, but added that the police was looking into the matter and the details of the report were yet to be submitted.

Mathur also added that the police had arrested some people who were responsible for the cancellation of prayer meetings at the Deep Darshan School recently. That those identified include Gulabbhai Puroshottam, Sunil Satarabhai and Harish.

Meanwhile the police has registered four cases of disruption of prayers of Christians in remote parts of the district. “We have registered a few cases even on Saturday and it will help us to look into the disruptions which were caused on Sunday,” said Mathur.

A joint team of leaders from the CPI and CPM, which visited the Dangs on a mission have held the Sangh Parivar squarely responsible for the violence in the tribal district.

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The team has also held the district collector, police and the state government guilty of being unable to check as many as 28 attacks on chapels, schools and houses of Christians in the district.

The findings of the team, which included Shameem Faizee, Sukomal Sen, V V Raghavan, MP, and Suresh Kurup, MP, were issued in a press statement by the leaders in Surat on Sunday evening. The four persons were accompanied by Subodh Mehta and Ashok Bhatt.

Railway authorities promptly took action, shifting passengers to other coaches and quickly extinguishing the fire.

Fire noticed in coach of Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express, no casualties reported

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A fire broke out in a coach of Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express at Sirhind Station in Punjab, but no casualties were reported. Railway officials quickly took action, shifting passengers to other coaches and extinguishing the fire. The train will depart to its destination shortly. The incident occurred at 07:30 hrs and is currently being investigated.

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