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By James Varghese
A PICTURE of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in another triggered a conflict in India’s Meghalaya State last month.
 | | This image, dubbed ‘Boozing Jesus,’ was the flashpoint for religious violence in India last month. |
The dispute led to violence, which spread to Punjab State – and has resulted in the burning of several churches.
A prominent Christian group is alleging that the publication of the offending image was part of a conspiracy calculated to foment strife and justify attacks on Christians.
According to Indo Asian News Service (IANS), a parody of the standard ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus’ concept – found in writing exercise books at a private school in the Meghalaya State capital of Shillong – was brought to the notice of church officials.
“We are shocked and hurt by this act where Jesus Christ has been portrayed in a highly objectionable manner . . . We condemn the total lack of respect for religions by the publisher,” Dominic Jala, Archbishop of Shillong, told IANS.
One source said that New Delhi-based Skyline Publication produced the picture, meant for students of Class 1. “Just imagine students at such an impressionable age being dished out objectionable images which are nothing but blasphemous,” T. Jrwa, another church leader, told IANS.
Members of the Christian and Hindu communities clashed February 20, prompting authorities to clamp an indefinite curfew in Punjab State.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that, according to police, members of the Christian community staged a protest march through one town – during which some of them allegedly turned violent and set afire six motorcycles, damaged three buses, a shopping mall and around 50 shops in different areas.
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They were protesting against the publication of the notorious image, which has since been dubbed ‘Boozing Jesus.’
Protesters belonging to the Hindu community also took to the streets and tried to set fire to a church, police said – adding that the damage to the place of worship was minimal as the fire brigade and the police reached the spot in time.
According to police, a government primary school building and some shops were damaged, and a few vehicles were torched.
The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that during the clash, Epiphany Church in the Punjab was attacked by Hindu radicals.
GCIC asserted that the militants broke open the lock of the church door, entered the church, and damaged the altar, pulpit and carved wooden furniture – and then burned them.
Also on February 20, in the municipality of Batala, the Church of North India building and the Salvation Army church were burnt by religious fundamentalists.
Subsequently, a protest rally drew almost 3,000 Christians.
The All India Christian Council then issued a statement, declaring: “In the current situation, there are three main issues: the conspiracy to print the blasphemous photograph of our Lord, Jesus Christ, with ulterior motives; the conspiracy to burn down the churches; and the clash between Christian groups and the crowd, which consisted of shopkeepers and other elements . . .We therefore demand a judicial enquiry.”
– Assist News Service; additional reporting by David F. Dawes
March 2010
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