Rajasthan: Hindu activists disrupted Christmas celebration

Jaipur, Dec 20: On Tuesday, a Christmas celebration event was disrupted by a number of Hindu activists. A video clipping of the incident showed the activist raising ruckus at the event, organised by the Pratapgarh branch of the 'Masih Shakti Samiti' for tribals, and laying waste to hymn books as well as other prayer material.

Karu Lal, the event coordinator, said they were attacked by about 20 people that evening. "The event started at 10 am yesterday, but around 7.30 pm, a group of people accompanied by the police arrived at the scene and ordered us to halt the proceedings," he said.

Lal also alleged that police took two tribals – Ramesh Meena and Manish Mekwan – into custody, and released them at 1.20 am the next day.

The event coordinator said his organisation had approached the additional collector with an application for permission to hold the event, which he approved with his signature. "He then told us to get the Pratapgarh police's permission. However, when we visited the local police station, the station house officer simply took a photocopy of the letter and told us to go ahead with the programme. He refused to give us his permission in writing," Lal added.