A Catholic body said it was denied permission for the Annual Way of the Cross procession, a key religious event observed by the Christian community on Palm Sunday, in the national capital, and condemned it as "shocking and unfair".
Sources in the Delhi Police said the permission was denied as it was a "non-traditional procession", and added that police can deny such permissions due to "security concerns".
"There are rules on traditional processions and non-traditional processions. The (Palm Sunday) procession falls under non-traditional procession due to which the request was denied. Usually, we deny many requests from all communities for non-traditional processions," the source said.
Union minister George Kurian said the permission for the procession was denied due to "security reasons" and noted that even Hanuman Jayanti procession, which was scheduled for Saturday, was not granted approval.
"All processions of this nature have been restricted," added Kurian, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs.
The denial of permission for the Palm Sunday by the police drew criticism from leaders of opposition parties Congress and CPI(M). Palm Sunday marks the Sunday before Easter, which will be held on April 20.
In a statement, the Catholic Association of the Archdiocese of Delhi (CAAD) said, "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." Held annually from St Mary's Church to Sacred Heart Cathedral, the procession commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ and attracts thousands of faithful, said AC Michael, President of CAAD.
Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the Delhi Police's decision to deny permission for the 'Kuruthola Pradakshinam' (Palm Sunday procession) at the Sacred Heart Church, Delhi was condemnable.
He said this was a violation of the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and secular values. Such actions, which undermine the religious beliefs of minorities, are not in line with a pluralistic society, the Kerala CM said.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said 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 the letter.
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