India: Christians condemn massacre of Kashmiri Pandits
The Christian community in India has reacted with shock and concern over the latest massacre of 22 innocent Kashmiri Pandit men, women and children by terrorists in the Valley. Major Christian organisations and activists issued a joint statement on Tuesday in New Delhi expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri Pandit community in their hour of grief, and demanded swift action against the perpetrators of the crime which was meant to intimidate the Pandits and sabotage the peace process in the State. The joint statement was issued by All India Catholic Union president Dr Maria E Menezes, Vice President John Dayal, All India Christian Council, President Dr Joseph D Souza, Delhi Catholic Archdiocese Justice and Peace Commission coordinator Sr. Mary Scaria, New Delhi YMCA president Elwin Nathaniel and general secretary Philip Jadhav, and children's right activist Joseph Gathia. "We are deeply disturbed and anguished at the brutal slaying of innocent people, including children, in this act of war against humanity. The targeting of any particular community in democratic, plural and secular India -whether it is of Pandits in Kashmir, Muslims and Christians in Gujarat, or Dalits elsewhere - is specially heinous as it is meant to terrorize an entire people and hold them hostage to narrow sectarian or political ends" said the statement. Source: MISNA