Thiruvananthapuram (AsiaNews/Ucan) - Police in Kerala (southern India) are convinced that increasingly frequent attacks against Christians are aimed at igniting tensions in the area.  Last Wednesday night, a group of unidentified people set fire to the Orthodox St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church in Thiruvananthapuram (south of New Delhi). The altar, curtains and two chairs were burnt, but nothing was stolen nor were there damages to religious articles.  Police found the name of two Hindu groups written on a window near the altar.  Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its armed wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were the fundamentalist groups named in the graffiti: both have been held responsible for acts of violence against Christians in northern India in recent years.  Police suspect that the inscriptions were "a deliberate attempt to divert the investigations".

This is the third attack against Christians in Kerala in little more than a month.  On August 28, Fr Job Chittilappilly was killed.  Police arrested a RSS activist, saying that the youth had admitted to having killed the priest for "anti-Hindu activities".  The following day, however, police stated that the young man's confession was not valid, as he had been under the influence of drugs.  The Church called for a more thorough investigation and police say they have set up a special team to work on the case.

A second incident occurred last Monday when a group of Hindu activists attacked 4 Mother Teresa nuns, ripping from their necks the crosses they wore and injuring them with iron bars.

Kerala is the Indian state with the largest Christian presence, which accounts for 20% of the population of 31 million.  Until recently, Kerala's various religious communities had lived together peacefully.