HYDERABAD: The Christmas Day attacks on carol singers in the city from the past few years and lack of representation in the government to address their issues have refocused the hurdles faced by community members practicing the faith in the city.
Just like any other festival that is celebrated in India or around the world, Christmas, too, is celebrated with a lot of fervour and excitement every year. However, expressing anguish over the attacks on carol singers in the past, community members demanded the government they be provided with better security.
James Sylvester, coordinator of Catholic Association of Hyderabad said, “Every year before Christmas day, we go to the houses of our Christian community members to sing carols. It is a ritual that we follow to bring good tidings to the people. It does not propagate religion in any way. And yet our carol groups are attacked by some anti-social elements in some or the other part of the twin cities every year.”
“While we are going to limit the carol singing to our houses and church premises, we request the police to provide better security to our community members so that these kinds of incidents do not occur in the future,” said Sylvester.
In one incident that took place in Saroornagar’s Singereni colony, community members alleged that a pastor and four others were severely injured.
When asked if police are going to provide any security to avoid such cases, K Seetharam, inspector of Saroornagar PS said, “We haven’t received any such complaints this year. If anyone from the community feels like there is a problem or a threat, they can approach us directly and security will be provided.”
Apart from urging the authorities to ensure safety and security of Christians across the city, community members also expressed the need for representation of the community in the government. The community had also approached the minister for minority welfare recently, requesting him to form a committee that can address the issues of members and also take them to government officials as per the need.