2015-08-27 16:42:00

Catholic priest in Gujarat speaks about violent clashes


(Vatican Radio) Tensions remain in the Indian state of Gujarat  after the Patels, a minority community there, staged violent protests against the caste-system, demanding  more government jobs and college places. Several people have been killed and dozens of others have been injured during the unrest.

The secretary to the Catholic Archbishop of Gandhinagar in Gujarat, is Father Siby Mathew. He told Claire Gilbody Dickerson that the situation in Gujarat is calmer now and says he is confident that the government and the Patels will find an agreement.

Listen to Father Siby Mathew from Gandhinagar in Gujarat:

Father Mathew said the clashes began when “one section of the society asking for a certain percentage of reservations” had staged a rally, but the government  had done “all in its capacity” to control the subsequent protests, and had “succeeded to a great extent”, after the rally had “somehow got out of control.”

Asked if he feared further riots, Father Mathew said there couldn’t be any more clashes, because he believed the government and the Patels would “come together to understand each other…. and find a consensus.”

Father Mathew explained that so far no Christians were involved in the conflict because the protesters were mainly Hindis.

He also explained that he hadn’t seen anyone being  killed or injured but said he saw a bus in flames as he was driving through the city on the day of the riots.

 

 

 

 

 








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