Mangalore: Pastors allege police interference

The Hindu

• ‘Told to get DC’s permission to hold prayer meetings’
• Commissioner of Police says no such order was given

 

Mangalore, 28 August 2011: The Karnataka Missions Network has alleged that pastors of Protestant churches are being summoned to police stations and told not to hold prayer meetings without the permission of the Deputy Commissioner.

 

Addressing the media here on Saturday, chairman of the network, Walter J. Maben, said that pastors had been summoned to five police stations in August and were told to obtain permission from the Deputy Commissioner to continue holding regular church gatherings or prayer meetings in churches or other places.

 

He said pastors often conducted prayers in houses for the benefit of the sick and the elderly.

 

Treasurer Alwyn Colaco said he was also summoned by the Mangalore South police, but had told them that he could not come because he was travelling, and had sent his wife instead.

 

In Surathkal, a church had planned a gathering at a hotel on August 21 but the police did not allow them to do so, Mr. Maben said, forcing the church to rent a community hall.

 

Here too, the police demanded that the church seek permission from the Deputy Commissioner. They were allowed to hold the gathering on August 21, but had been told that subsequent gatherings on Sundays would not be allowed in the community hall.

 

Mr. Maben said that all this was done in the name of giving protection to the people. None of the exchanges has been in writing, he said. When the Catholic Sabha and the Karnataka Missions Network met Commissioner of Police Seemant Kumar Singh, he had assured them that they could go ahead with their activities. Even after obtaining his assurance, they had learned of two instances where police had interfered, Mr. Maben said.

 

Vice-president of the Karnataka chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Suresh Bhat, said no one could dictate terms on how a religious institution could go about its activities.

 

Delegation

 

Mr. Singh said that a delegation had come to meet him two days ago in this regard. He said he had “checked” whether there was such an order, and had found that none existed. When it was pointed out that if such an order did exist, it would have come from his office, Mr. Singh said that no such order had been given to the police. He also denied that the police had called pastors to police stations. He added that the police have been instructed not to ask pastors whether they had got permission from the Deputy Commissioner.