MADHYA PRADESH POLICE CHARGE FOUR CATHOLIC PRIESTS WITH RIOTING

Light of Truth

Four Catholic priests have been charged with rioting and criminal intimidation in India’s Madhya Pradesh State over a land dispute involving a hard-line Hindu group. The priests of Ujjain Diocese resisted an attempt by a Hindu group to take over a piece of land in front of a Catholic Church-run hospital in Ujjain, a city with a Hindu temple and a site for pilgrims.

“No one has been arrested yet,” an official of Madhav Nagar police station, where the case has been registered, told ucanews.com on Feb. 1.

The dispute revolves around a plot of land adjacent to Pushpa Mission Hospital, a 44-year-old facility with 200 beds. Hospital authorities say the local civic body gave the public land to the hospital for use as a parking area and to maintain its greenery. However, some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the pro-Hindu party that runs the state government, attempted to take over the land on Jan. 27, accusing the church of illegally occupying the site. However, the church obtained a “stay order” to maintain the status quo from the Madhya Pradesh State High Court.

Gagan Singh, who led the crowd and claimed to be the owner of the public land, is the assistant to the local BJP parliamentarian for the area. Church officials say charges against them were framed under political influence.

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