Indian Church demands action against people who humiliated nun
A Catholic diocese in India’s northeastern Meghalaya state has registered a protest with the state government against the humiliation and removal of a nun from a bus due to her religious habit and faith.
Tura Diocese in the tiny hilly state alleged that Sister Rose Mary, a member of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales, was forced to get off the bus on her way from Duhnoi in Meghalaya to neighboring Assam state’s Goalpara area despite having a valid ticket on Feb. 17.The nun was mocked by co-passengers, mostly Hindus, for her religious habit and faith before she was forcibly deboarded, diocesan officials said.
Auxiliary Bishop Jose Chirackal of Tura told UCA News on Feb. 22 that they have brought the matter to the attention of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and demanded a probe in the incident while also urging him to take this up with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma.
“When the nun boarded the bus and started the journey there was nothing unusual and it was like in other journeys in the past, but after some time the co-passengers on the bus started to mock her over her habit and also made derogatory remarks about her religious faith,” Chirackal said.
After being dropped off in an isolated place, she managed to get another bus to reach her destination, he said, adding that the incident left her traumatized.Christian-majority Meghalaya is ruled by the secular National People’s Party while the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is in power in Assam. The latter has seen a spike in threats and harassment of minority Christians by hardline Hindu groups aligned with the BJP.
Recently, a hardline Hindu group asked Christian schools in the state to remove all religious symbols from their premises. Catholic priests and religious were told to wear Indian traditional clothes instead of religious habits.Bishop Chirackal alleged there is a connection between threats from Hindu groups and the humiliation of the nun.
Christian leaders have expressed dismay that despite complaints to the state government and police officials no action has been taken against the Hindu hardliners.
Inaction to neutralize Hindu hardliners would make the lives of Christians in Meghalaya difficult as they depend on Assam for various needs including medical treatment and air travel among other things, Chirakal said.“The Meghalaya government has responded positively to our complaint and state police officials took the statement of the distraught nun and promised to take it up with the Assam government so that no such thing will be repeated,” the prelate added.
Charles Pyngrope, a lawmaker from the opposition Trinamool Congress party has raised harassment of the nun in the state Assembly on Feb. 22.
He sought the intervention of the chief minister saying harassment of religious persons who wear their religious dress is uncalled for.The CM in his reply said he had already taken up the matter with the Assam Chief Minister who assured him of taking action.
