BANGALORE (Agencies): The Archdiocese of Bangalore, India, issued a strong condemnation following the wrongful arrest and alleged assault of two religious sisters from the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate [ASMI] on July 25, at Durg Railway Station, Chhattisgarh [Sunday Examiner, August 3].
Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis were accompanying three young women, each over the age of 18 and travelling with the full consent of their families, when they were reportedly detained and harassed, allegedly at the instigation of communal elements.
According to RVA News, a statement, released by Archbishop Peter Machado, expressed grave concern over the misuse of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act criticising the insensitivity and possible complicity of law enforcement officers, calling their actions “a shameful disregard” for justice and the constitutional rights of citizens.
“The services and sacrifices of Catholic religious sisters in education, healthcare, and social service are well-respected across India. To subject them to such indignity is a grave injustice,” the archbishop said.
The statement concluded with a prayer for justice, peace, and the upholding of harmony in the country.
The Durg district court rejected bail applications on July 30, UCAN reported, claiming that it had no jurisdiction in the case and suggested that the police take the case to a special court of the National Investigation Agency [NIA], which probes terror-related crimes.
However, AsiaNews reported on August 4 that the two nuns had been released on bail.
In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India [CBCI] thanked “the government of India and the government of Chhattisgarh for their timely intervention and cooperation in securing their release on bail.”
In the statement, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the CBCI said, “We are grateful to the government for its support in this case. We hope this is the beginning of new efforts to protect the rights and dignity of all religious minorities in our secular democracy.”
The services and sacrifices of Catholic religious sisters in education, healthcare, and social service are well-respected across India. To subject them to such indignity is a grave injustice,
Archbishop Peter Machado
In an earlier, July 30 statement, the bishops’ conference, representing more than 130,000 religious men and women across the country, termed the arrest of the two nuns a “gross abuse of the law.”
They said the charges of conversion and human trafficking slapped on the nuns were “completely false and fabricated” and “part of a larger pattern of hate crimes targeting minorities,” including Christians.
The CBCI also demanded action against the right-wing activists and police officials who arrested and jailed the nuns, along with an indigenous man, “in gross abuse of law.”
Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, head of the Eastern Rite Syro-Malabar Church and president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, led a protest march in front of the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor, who is head of state nominated by the federal government.
The arrest of the nuns “is a challenge to the secular foundations of the country,” the cardinal said.
Cardinal Cleemis said the nuns were not foreigners, but citizens of the country, and appealed to the federal and state governments to ensure justice in the case.
