India: Catholic pilgrims detained, priests assaulted in Madhya Pradesh

Video footage shows assault of Fr Davis George and Fr George Thomas outside Ranjhi police station. Image: Instagram/@maravankudieruppu.

Source: CSW

A group of Catholic pilgrims was detained and two Catholic priests were physically assaulted in Jabalpur in India's Madhya Pradesh State on 31 March.

A bus carrying at least 50 pilgrims from Mandla District to Jabalpur for a day-long visit to churches was stopped by members of the Hindu nationalist groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Members of the mob took away the keys from the driver and accused the pilgrims of carrying out religious conversion. The pilgrims were then forcibly taken to Ranjhi police station in Jabalpur District where they were detained for six hours before they were released after no evidence of forced conversion was found.

When the Vicar General of the Jabalpur diocese Father Davis George and the diocesan procurator Father George Thomas arrived at the police station to help the detainees, they were assaulted by the mob in front of the police.

A video of the assault subsequently went viral and sparked outrage among the Christian community. On 1 April, more than 1,000 Christians gathered outside the Jabalpur District Police headquarters to protest against the assault on the Catholic priests and call for action against the assailants.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India condemned the attacks in a press statement, saying: "Reports indicate that this is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern and strategy to create communal polarization and hostility towards religious minorities."

The station house officer at Ranjhi police station refuted the allegations the group was involved in religious conversion. Many of the group belonged to tribal communities in Mandla and, according to some reports, they were questioned on whether they were on their way to be converted. Many of the group had also been Catholic for generations.

On 3 April, MPs Dean Kuriakose and KC Venugopal from Kerala, where Father George and Father Thomas are originally from, demanded that the incident be discussed in the Lok Sabha (lower house) of the Indian Parliament, however the house speaker Om Birla refused, prompting a walkout from members of various opposition parties. A First Information Report (FIR), which is required for the police to open an investigation, was registered the following day, but no arrests have been made so far.

The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1968 is one of the most stringent anti-conversion laws in India, penalising those found guilty with up to 10 years imprisonment. Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government has expressed intentions to introduce the death penalty for cases of conversion involving minor girls.

CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: "It is profoundly concerning to see that there exists deep distrust toward religious minorities in India today, so much so that anyone seen carrying a Bible or religious literature in their hands, or wearing religious or cultural attire, could potentially be at risk of being attacked on the basis of their religion or belief. Here, a group of people enroute to a place of worship have been treated as threats by members of far-right Hindu nationalist groups. Equally concerning is that religious leaders were subjected to humiliation and violence in the presence of the police who, according to sources, did not react. We urge the authorities to take stern action by carrying out a full and independent inquiry into the matter to ensure that justice is served."

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Christian Solidarity Worldwide: www.csw.org.uk