By TNM Staff
In a hard-hitting editorial, Deepika — the mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church — has drawn a stark parallel between the plight of Indian Christians today and the persecution of minorities in Pakistan, blaming radical Hindutva groups for fostering a climate of fear and repression across the country. “Minorities in India today are facing conditions similar to what Hindu and Christian minorities experience in Pakistan — oppression and fear at the hands of radical Hindutva groups,” the editorial published on August 3, Sunday, stated.
Published in the wake of the controversial arrest and subsequent bail of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh, the editorial wrote, “The nation, which once bravely crossed borders to confront those who attacked fellow citizens in Kashmir for their religion, now sits cross-legged in silence before communal forces operating within its own borders.”
It referenced the 1999 killing of missionary Graham Staines and his two sons by Bajrang Dal activists in Odisha, labeling the outfit an extremist group that has “carried out countless attacks against Christians” ever since. “Those in power at the Centre must reflect: aren’t they the ones standing guard for these groups?” it asked.
The editorial also praised Kerala’s unified secular response while criticising the systemic bias faced by religious minorities elsewhere. “This did not happen in Kerala, which many innocently still believe to be a golden bastion of secularism. It happened in Chhattisgarh,” it wrote. “Christians across the country — especially in Kerala — have already begun their introspection. No one needs to explain to Christians who helped get the nuns released. They also know whose strength led to their imprisonment.”
Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeti Mary were arrested under charges of forced religious conversion and human trafficking, in a case that Deepika described as manufactured and communal. The arrest reportedly followed the intervention of Bajrang Dal activists at Durg railway station, where the nuns were accompanying young tribal girls to their workplace.
Criticising the unequal application of the law, the editorial noted: “Not even a petty case has been filed against Jyoti Sharma — the woman who orchestrated a direct attack on the nuns and their companions — while two innocent nuns were made to sleep on the floor of a jail alongside 52 other inmates.”
This story was originally published in thenewsminute.com. Read the full story here.