Christian Vandals Desecrate Ram Leela Ground in Trinidad
Richard Chara
South Bureau
Wednesday, October 19th 2005
Trinidad Express
Vandals desecrated the holy ground of a Ram Leela celebration in Couva in a midnight attack.
Temple members turned up at the McBean Recreation Ground, Couva yesterday to find that the jhandis (Hindu prayer flags) were torn down and deyas were scattered across the field.
A tent was ripped apart and the trees-used as props in the enactment of a story told in Hindu scriptures were broken.
Two years ago, police were called out to the site when worshippers from the Lower McBean Hindu Temple, were beaten and terrorised during the celebrations.
President of the McBean Ram Leela and Cultural Group Ryan Ramdath alleged that the same group of men are believed to be involved in Sunday's act.
He said: "They did this out of wickedness. They did it for fun and destroyed what we worked hard to build with our blood and sweat. This is God's work." He said that two years ago "they caused an old man to get a heart attack. People's children get slapped. A woman's clothes were burnt. They burst fire crackers and destroyed everything. We made a report to police but nothing came out of it".
Ramdath said he returned to the Couva Police Station yesterday but an officer said that without witnesses, they could do nothing.amdath said that the vandalised items "were holy thing. We did pooja before we put up these flags. We don't want war. We just want peace".
Ramdath said that as a result of the incident two years ago, a quarter of the $10,000 State grant to his committee was used to pay for police protection last year.
South Bureau
Wednesday, October 19th 2005
Trinidad Express
Vandals desecrated the holy ground of a Ram Leela celebration in Couva in a midnight attack.
Temple members turned up at the McBean Recreation Ground, Couva yesterday to find that the jhandis (Hindu prayer flags) were torn down and deyas were scattered across the field.
A tent was ripped apart and the trees-used as props in the enactment of a story told in Hindu scriptures were broken.
Two years ago, police were called out to the site when worshippers from the Lower McBean Hindu Temple, were beaten and terrorised during the celebrations.
President of the McBean Ram Leela and Cultural Group Ryan Ramdath alleged that the same group of men are believed to be involved in Sunday's act.
He said: "They did this out of wickedness. They did it for fun and destroyed what we worked hard to build with our blood and sweat. This is God's work." He said that two years ago "they caused an old man to get a heart attack. People's children get slapped. A woman's clothes were burnt. They burst fire crackers and destroyed everything. We made a report to police but nothing came out of it".
Ramdath said he returned to the Couva Police Station yesterday but an officer said that without witnesses, they could do nothing.amdath said that the vandalised items "were holy thing. We did pooja before we put up these flags. We don't want war. We just want peace".
Ramdath said that as a result of the incident two years ago, a quarter of the $10,000 State grant to his committee was used to pay for police protection last year.
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