Jaipur, India - Thousands of Christians took out a silent march across the Pink City on Tuesday after the BJP Government froze the bank accounts of a Christian missionary over allegations of funding literature defaming Hindu gods.
A book controversy concerning a publication by Emmanuel Mission, a Christian missionary group, had generated waves of protests in the state earlier this month.
The book allegedly contained offensive remarks against Hindu Gods and has been banned in India. Police has also arrested its Hindi translator Dennis Nathaniel.
Father Remond Kohilo, president of Rajasthan Christian Fellowship, said the state government had failed to protect the interest of the minority communities.
"The real motive behind this is to stop attacks on Christians, that is our only motive. During the past few weeks, months, we have been facing a lot of opposition, lot of atrocities against our Christians, our community, our institutions. Off late our children are made to suffer because of some problems with the authority," he said.
Other minority groups including Muslims and the scheduled castes also participated in the march.
Provincial authorities said they have taken adequate steps to nip the controversy, which can flare up communal sentiments.
"We have conducted the required investigations and arrested those involved in the controversy. We have confiscated more than 600 copies from Kerala. We have also made some arrests in this regard," said Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
The book is said to be an analytical study on another book written by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.
The Emmanuel Mission has earlier been in controversy for forcefully converting people to Christianity.
Religious conversions by Christian missionaries have been a sore point with right wing Hindu groups who question the motive behind working among the economically and socially backward people.
The RSS, the parent group of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and other Hindu organisations accuses Christian missionaries of converting lower-caste Hindus, saying it is a part of an international conspiracy.
Reports of mass conversions with impoverished tribals turning to Christianity in lieu of free food and medical aid are fairly frequent from the interior regions of the country.
India was rocked by attacks on Christian missionaries in 1999 when Hindu extremists accused Christian missionaries of engineering conversions through incentives.
Missionaries deny the charges of forced conversions saying they are working for the economic uplift of the poor and tribal people.