To prevent serious violence, the Indian police returned the Christians in their own country. The attackers were militants demanding the creation of an independent Tamil state. Local sources tell AsiaNews: "This is a message to the Sri Lankan government, but the situation has worsened." For many it was the first pilgrimage to Our Lady of Vailankanni.

Chennai (AsiaNews) - A group of Indian Tamil militants attacked 184 Sri Lankan Christians preventing them from making the annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Health Vailankanni (Tamil Nadu). To prevent the situation from degenerating, the police escorted the pilgrims - mostly women and children - to Trichy airport, to bring them back to their country. Local sources that prefer to remain anonymous tell AsiaNews, that at the moment the situation is "quiet", but "is not a good sign" for the church and its pilgrims.

The police identified the attackers as Eelam activists, who are fighting for the creation of an independent Tamil in Sri Lanka (the Eelam, in fact). The militants - about a hundred - attacked the pilgrims while they were still on the bus, headed to the basilica. No one was injured, but one of the seven bus was damaged. The officers then tried to escort the Christians to the church, but along the way they were again attacked by activists. At that point, the police decided on their immediate return to Sri Lanka. The group of Christians left India last night on board a special flight.

According to sources, "the attack is only a demonstrative act, not against the pilgrims themselves. Its not the first time that the militants have carried out acts of this kind. Their goal was to attract the attention of the Government of Sri Lanka, to tackle once and for all the issue of resettlement of Tamil refugees and internally displaced persons. " However, they add, "at the expense of poor people. Many people, especially the younger ones, were on their first pilgrimage."

Each year, the "Lourdes of the East" welcomes pilgrims from all over the world. After the 2005 tsunami, thousands of people of all religions, not only Catholics go to seek solace in the sanctuary and to pay homage to Mary. At that time, the tsunami hit the Marian shrine hard: about 850 people died, 300 others were washed away by the fury of the waves. But those who sought refuge in the chapel, were unhurt.

 

• india
• sri
• lanka
• pilgrimage
• marian
• shrine
• attack
• tamil
• rebels