India

Indian priests face fresh case over orphanage raid row

2 clergymen in Madhya Pradesh are charged with assaulting public servants and obstruction

Activists and members representing the Christian community take part in a peaceful protest rally against what the claim as an increase in hostility, hate, and violence against Christians in various states of the country, in New Delhi on Feb 19. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: June 19, 2023 07:47 AM GMT

Updated: June 19, 2023 11:12 AM GMT

Police in central India have registered a fresh criminal case against two Catholic priests for allegedly assaulting public servants and obstructing their official duties while they were raiding a Catholic orphanage in May.

Police in Madhya Pradesh state on June 15 filed a case against Father E. P. Joshy, youth director of Sagar diocese and diocesan Father Naveen Brahmakulam following a complaint by Kleen Rai, a member of the Sagar district child welfare committee.

The fresh complaint against the priests comes after the police arrested them on May 8 when they objected to the inspection team desecrating the altar of a church adjacent to St. Francis Sevadham Orphanage in Shyampur in Sagar diocese.

The Many Faces of Asian Mary in Asia
and the World

“Now, a second case of obstructing government servants on duty has been registered against our priests,” said Father Sinto Varghese, director of the orphanage.

“No doubt, the fresh case is yet another revengeful act from the child rights protection body to target us,” Varghese told UCA News on June 17.

“We have already been facing targeted attacks on our orphanage from the federal and provincial child rights protection bodies for no reason,” the priest said.

“Now, we have to fight one more false case.”

The state is ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, where Christians say their people and institutions are targeted, mostly on allegations of conversion activities.

Madhya Pradesh is among 11 Indian provincial states that have enacted a draconian anti-conversion law.

The orphanage has faced problems from child rights panels after its license expired in 2020, forcing the diocese to petition the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the top court in the state, to prevent any coercive action.

Since then, the orphanage, located on a prime 277-acre (112-hectare) plot of land granted to the Church during the British colonial era, says it has continued to face raids and false accusations of feeding children with beef (consumption of beef is banned in the state) and religious conversion.

A team of officials from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights conducted a raid on the orphanage on May 8.

The team forced their way into the convent, presbytery and also the church adjacent to the orphanage.

When they tried to climb over the altar, the priests began explaining its importance to Catholics.

Police, however, allegedly beat the priests and arrested them for obstructing government servants from discharging their duties. The priests were later released on bail by a local court.

The team, Varghese said, destroyed all electronic evidence such as CCTV footage and mobile phone recordings against them.

“They took our mobiles which had recordings of their violence and deleted them and returned them to us,” the priest said.

The orphanage is being targeted by land sharks, backed by Hindu groups and the government in the state to grab this huge property from the Church.

Christians make up a mere 0.29 percent of the more than 72 million people in Madhya Pradesh.

Help us keep UCA News independent

The Church in Asia needs objective and independent journalism to speak the truth about the Church and the state.

With a network of professionally qualified journalists and editors across Asia, UCA News is just about meeting that need. But professionalism does not come cheap. We depend on you, our readers, to help maintain our independence and seek that truth.

A small donation of US$2 a month would make a big difference in our quest to achieve our goal.

Donate Now

Share your comments

8 Comments on this Story

SANJAY KUMAR RAJPUT

When I was a child and was not knowing much about Christians, I used to think that a butcher and Christian are same. Now I am grown up and I have come to know much about christian, I realized that what I think in my childhood is absolutely right why because why a religion needs expansion. Let every human being should have one religion that is Humanity.

JOHN MASCARENHAS

sanjay: as a rajput,1) how do you treat your fellow hindu dalit brothers and sisters? they laugh like you, cry like you and share the same blood as you do, besides worship the same gods too! so why do you worship a 4 legged animal and consider it superior to your fellow human being?2) as a child you thought that christians were the same as butchers. WHY? did your parents or elders tell you so or was it because they ate beef? as an educated adult, you still think the same because they are converting hindus? do you think 80% hindus would be converted by 2-3% christians? even during the british raj, nothing like that happened. why NOW?3) what are your babas/gurus doing overseas if not converting christians??? yes the basis is humanity and the rules are morality. though educated, where are your morals?

MADHU KOHLI

Feel very saddened and disgusted at the atrocities being unleashed on minorities particularly muslims and christians in the last 9 years of BJP rule at the centre. They have adopted a very dangerous strategy of using religion and religious sentiments to first come to power and to ensure they remain saddles so for a long tike to come, no matter what it means for the unity of India which is best reflected in its diversity. The country is being pushed into the dark ages and hope and pray majority of indians are able to see through these sinister designs and throw parties like BJP out of power before it is too late.

PALYAM BABU

Wake up and smell the coffee. You have no idea on the miseries and violence unleashed by these 2 abrahamic faiths. They control media so well you only read what they want you to believe.

JOHN MASCARENHAS

the bus turds descecrated the holy alter by standing on it and when the priests objected, they framed charges of obstructing a govt official in carrying out their duties??? IS DESCERATION OF A SACRED CHRISTIAN ALTER A PART OF A GOVT SERPENTS DUTY? WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF STANDING ON THE ALTER, THOUGH THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO AS IT WAS SACRED????? CAN CHRISTIANS EAT BEEF IN A HINDU TEMPLE? WHY NOT?

PALYAM BABU

Stop hate & violence ! How do you think you are converting people to your faith. It’s by abusing Hinduism, giving financial incentives and making the new converts hate their ancesterol faith. First you stop your hate.

JOHN MASCARENHAS

PALYAM: STOP THE HATE AND VIOLENCE? WHI IS HATING AND VIOLATING OTHER PEOPLES LIVES AND PROPERTY AND RELIGIOUS PLACES?? 1) INDIA IA S SECULAR COUNTRY AND ANY ADULT IS FREE TO CONVERT 2) DID ANYONE FORCE YOU TO CONVERT? 3) WHY DO YOU THINK 80% HINDUS WILL BE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY (2-3%), WHEN EVEN DURING THE BRITISH RULE IT DID NOT HAPPEN? 4) IF I OFFERED YOU A FINANACIAL INCENTIVE, WOULD YOU CONVERT IF YOU HAD A FIRM CONVICTION IN YOUR RELIGION? 5)HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR FELLOW HINDU DALIT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHO LAUGH LIKE YOU, CRY LIKE YOU, HAVE THE SAME BLOOD JUST LIKE YOU AND EVEN WORSHIP THE SAME GODS AS YOU DO? JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BORN DALITS IN THIS LIFE, DO YOU THINK THEY ARE WORTH LESS THAN A 4 LEGGED COW THAT YOU WORSHIP? WHY WOULD YOU OR THEY WANT TO STAY IN A RELIGIONTHAT DISCRIMINATES THEM AND TREAT THEM AS SHIT? 5) WHAT ARE YOUR BABAS/GURUS AND HARE KRISNAS DOING OVERSEAS. IF NOT CONVERTING CHRISTIANS???

AVINASH BALANI

These priests and nuns should be jailed for converting poor hindus