The issue of the recent spate of attacks on churches and Christian schools in the Capital and the police action against nuns, priests, women and children during their peaceful protests have reached the National Human Rights Commission.

A Christian group has filed a petition seeking the NHRC’s intervention for action against the culprits and compensation to churches.

In its plea, Kottayam-based Catholic Foundation of India has pointed out that the police were reluctant to register first information reports in many of these incidents.

It said the government system had completely failed even when the repeated attacks had shown that the Christian community was being targeted.

Moreover, the inaction of the authorities amounted to violation of Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 25 (freedom of religion) of the Constitution as well as a recent Supreme Court judgment in Lalita Kumari vs. State of Uttar Pradesh, requiring the police to register FIR in all cognisable offences, according to the petition.

The NHRC has already taken suo motu cognisance of arson at St. Sebastian’s Church in December and a couple of other cases.

The petition, moved through Supreme Court lawyer V.K. Biju, has named the Union Home Secretary, Delhi Chief Secretary, and Delhi Police Commissioner as respondents in the case.

The petition said the Delhi Police unlawfully took nuns, priests, children and other members of the community to the police station, when they were holding a peaceful demonstration against the attacks at Sacred Heart Cathedral near Connaught Place . The action was taken without having sufficient woman police officers.

The petition also quoted the remarks of U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to India as chief guest at the Republic Day parade. Mr. Obama had said that India would succeed as long as it was “not splintered along the lines of religious faith and unified as one nation”.The petition requested the NHRC to direct the Union government to appoint an inquiry commission to probe all incidents of attack; punish the culprits; extend special protection to all churches in Delhi; and provide interim compensation to St. Sebastian’s Church, which was fully burnt, and other churches which suffered heavy losses in the attacks.