Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep concern over the rape of a 72-year-old nun in West Bengal and an attack on a church under construction in Haryana. He has sought a report immediately.
"PM is deeply concerned about the incidents in Hisar, Haryana and Nadia, West Bengal," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted this morning, adding, "PMO has asked for immediate report on facts & action taken regarding the incidents in Haryana & West Bengal."
The Prime Minister's move, though, drew fire from the Aam Aadmi Party. Senior AAP leader Ashutosh said showing concern does not help. "Members of the RSS, VHP vandalises, PM just shows his concern. There is a pattern here. They are all party to these acts. On one hand their own people are vandalise churches and then PM seeks report," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
Christians prayed and held vigils across the country on Monday to protest against the rape during an armed assault on a Bengal convent school, the worst in a series of incidents that followers of the faith say are making them feel unwelcome in their own country.
Police said they have detained 10 people who broke into the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Nadia district, northeast of Kolkata on Saturday. The man suspected of rape has not been caught.
Angry crowds blocked the convoy of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for almost an hour when she traveled to Ranaghat to meet the nun on Monday.
Father Savari Muthu, spokesman for the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese and a national Church organiser, said "We have to raise our voice against the atrocities. Christians will not tolerate this humiliation."
Weeks ago, Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), suggested that the charitable work of Mother Teresa had been aimed at religious conversion.
The RSS has condemned the rape of the elderly nun.
Opposition lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of Parliament on Monday said the attack could damage the secular fabric of the country, where about a fifth of the population belongs to faiths other than Hinduism.
Since December, half a dozen churches have been vandalized.
In February, shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama called for respect for religious freedom in India, PM Modi broke a long silence on the subject and, speaking at a church event, vowed a crackdown on religious violence.
Gunmen Attack Churches, Synagogues In Russia; Cops, Priest Among 15 Killed "You're My Son": Sydney Priest Who Was Stabbed Forgives Attacker 1 Dead In Armed Attack On Italian Church In Istanbul Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled To Academy, Training Put On Hold Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment Meet Indian-Origin Usha Chilukuri Vance, Wife Of Trump's Vice President Pick Four In Five Americans Fear Country Is Sliding Into Chaos: Polls Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Admission Deadline Extended For EWS And Special Needs Children Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.