Christians in Madhya Pradesh have recently been passing through a very difficult period. Besides the arrest and harassment of innocent Christmas Carol singing Priests and seminarians in Satna just before Christmas, fundamentalist forces had set their eyes on St. Mary’s P.G. College, Vidisha. For the past few weeks, the ABVP, the Sanathan dharma and other like-minded organizations have been threatening to forcibly perform “The Aarti of Bharat Mata” in the college Premises. The Union Home Ministry, the Madhya Pradesh State Government and the State as well as the local Police acted effectively, efficaciously and provided full protection to the College, its staff and students.
The College authorities expressed their gratitude towards the High Court and highlighted that “We are pleased to say that as assured by the Additional Advocate General in the High Court, the State has acted fairly and taken measures to provide protection to the institution at Vidisha on 16-1-2018. It is our expectation that the Constitutional principles followed by the Administration in Vidisha and in the State of Madhya Pradesh protecting the constitutional rights of the Institution will be replicated and consistently followed by all the District Administrations in the State of Madhya Pradesh and other states where Christians are threatened.”
In an official statement, the College officials said, “We express our gratitude to the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singhji, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan and all leaders who showed both the political will and courage to protect our constitutional and democratic rights. We are especially grateful to the State administration, police and other authorities for providing protection to the College and taking necessary action against the miscreants.”
