INDORE, India (UCAN) -- Local Church leaders have deplored sectarian violence that killed four people during a Hindu protest on July 3 in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

The Church "condemns the unprovoked violence on innocent people," Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal told UCA News that day. "It is unfortunate that innocent people have been killed." The city of Bhopal, the state capital, lies 745 kilometers south of New Delhi.

The incident was linked to a nationwide strike call made by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people's party), which rules Madhya Pradesh, to protest a decision of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state. That northernmost state's government had reversed its earlier decision to allot land to the Amarnath Hindu shrine after a coalition partner, the People's Democratic Party, withdrew its support to protest the allotment.

The BJP, which is considered the political wing of groups that want to turn India a Hindu nation, now rules six of India's 28 states.

Protests in line with its strike call proceeded without incident in some states including Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan. However, they turned violent in several cities in Madhya Pradesh when Hindu activists reportedly forced some Muslims to close their shops. Three Muslims and a Hindu in Indore, 185 kilometers southwest of Bhopal, were killed in the violence.

D. Shreenivasa Rao, a senior police official in Indore, told UCA News on July 3 that they had imposed a curfew in four sensitive areas to prevent further sectarian violence. Police also imposed a curfew in some areas of Bhopal, where Hindus and Muslims also clashed.

Father Joseph Vallassery, spokesperson for Indore diocese, told UCA News on July 3 that the violence erupted because some people used force to make others join the protest. "Everyone has the right to protest, but no one can force people to join a protest," the priest insisted, maintaining that democracy ensures the freedom to join or not join a protest.

Father Varghese Alengaden, an Indore-based peace activist, told UCA News political parties organized the general strike to disrupt peace and harmony among the people. Politicians, he said, will always try to divide people along sectarian lines.

Indore Catholic Sabha (forum) president Victor Antony urged all to condemn violence that targets religious minorities. Christians and Muslims are the minority communities most frequently targeted in Hindu-majority India.

Father Anand Muttungal, spokesperson for the Catholic Church in Madhya Pradesh, says ordinary Muslims in the country have nothing to do with the land issue. Muslim fanatics in Jammu and Kashmir wanted to scrap the deal, and the government succumbed to the pressure, the priest told UCA News on July 3.

Archbishop Cornelio pointed out the violence is a result of "politicization of religion," which, he said, is "very dangerous for the nation and its democratic fabric."

The archbishop said many believe the violence was engineered to create communal division between religious communities ahead of the state election, which is due by December, when the BJP completes its five-year term. The BJP likes to project itself as the protector of Hinduism, the prelate noted.

Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur lamented that "innocent people had to pay with their lives for the political ambitions of a few." He told UCA News on July 3 that cancellation of the land for the Hindu pilgrimage center at the shrine has become an "emotive issue" for both Hindus and Muslims.

Christians must be "very cautious," the bishop warned. "A minor mistake from our part could lead to serious repercussions, as the state election is near," he said, adding that fanatics could take advantage of even a single word to create trouble.

Christians, who number fewer than 200,000 among Madhya Pradesh's 60 million people, have complained that violence against their institutions and people increased after the BJP came to power in the state. Hindus account for 91 percent of the population and Muslims 6 percent.

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