Peaceful Christmas in the Dangs

By Our Special Correspondent

AHWA (Dangs), DEC. 25. Christians in the tribal-dominated Dangs district and other parts of south Gujarat celebrated an incident- free Christmas amid heavy police bandobust.

After a gap of two years when Christmas celebrations were disrupted by militant Hindu organisations insisting on taking out rallies against alleged conversions, Christians celebrated the day with fireworks, mass prayer and even organised night-long cultural programmes in different places.

A teacher in the local missionary school, Deep Darshan, which was attacked on Christmas day in 1998, said ``normal celebrations'' were held this year.

Militant Hindu organisations such as the Hindu Jagran Manch and the Bajrang Dal, which are in a disarray following the BJP's electoral reverses in the recent panchayat elections, were not allowed to organise any programme this year. About 2,000 Christians took part in the Christmas mass at the CNI church, the main church in Ahwa, headquarters of the Dangs district.

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