New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) A catholic body said the police denied permission for the Annual Way of the Cross procession, a key religious event observed by the Christian community every Palm Sunday, here in the national capital and condemned the decision as “shocking and unfair”.

There was no immediate word on the procession from the Delhi Police.

“This is deeply shocking and unfair. The procession has always been peaceful and well-coordinated with authorities. The reason cited — law and order and traffic — doesn’t hold when others get approvals for similar events,” said AC Michael, President of Catholic Association of the Archdiocese of Delhi (CAAD)in a statement.

Held annually from St Mary’s Church to Sacred Heart Cathedral, the procession commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ and attracts thousands of faithful, Michael said.

The denial of the permission was criticised by the Congress and the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan.

Vijayan said the Delhi Police’s decision to deny permission for the ‘Kuruthola Pradakshinam’ (Palm Sunday procession) at the Sacred Heart Church in Delhi is condemnable.

This was a violation of the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and secular values, he said. Such actions, which undermine the religious beliefs of minorities, are not in line with a pluralistic society, the Kerala CM said.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal alleged that the move amounted to a “serious attack on the religious freedom” and “selective targeting” to silence minority voices.

“The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi had been carrying out this peaceful religious procession for the last 15 years and, therefore, denying permission without concrete reasons raises questions about the government’s commitment to upholding the fundamental right to practice and profess one’s religion freely,” he said in his letter to Shah.

Union minister George Kurian said the permission was denied due to “security reasons”. Kurian, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs, noted that even Hanuman Jayanti procession, which was scheduled for Saturday, was not granted approval.

“All processions of this nature have been restricted,” he added. PTI BM SKY SKY