On Sunday (26th April), the Balen Shah-led government in Nepal removed illegal houses and other establishments in the Manohara settlement in Bhaktapur. During the demolition drive, a church was also demolished, triggering outrage by Christian groups. They have issued a statement threatening PM Shah that if another place is not given for the church, “it will be inauspicious for him.”
“…We agreed that the land where the church was located was encroached upon, and that the government had to vacate it, so the goods have been moved. However, a church is not a person. It is a religious institution. Millions of people in the country are followers of this religion. This is an attack on the Christian community. If Honourable Prime Minister Balendra Shah cares about sin and religion, he should immediately take timely management of our religious institutions. Otherwise, it will be inauspicious for him,” the statement reads.
Muktiraj Rai, secretary of Manohar Bhajan Mandal (Church), claimed that the religious sentiments of Christians were attacked. He said, “After demolishing the church, a decision should have been made as to where to go.”
He claimed that 45% of the Manohara settlement residents are Christians, and asked where 300 Christians would go to worship after the church’s demolition.
