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Church workers accused of sex abuse in central India
Catholic leaders in Chhattisgarh say allegation is another form of harassment
ucanews.com reporter, BhopalIndiaSeptember 15, 2015
Police in central India have arrested a Catholic priest, nun and lay
worker accused of sexually abusing a young girl, an allegation Church
officials say is just another instance of harassment they face in a
state run by a pro-Hindu party.
Father Joseph Dhanaswami, principal of Jyoti Mission High School of
Ambikapur diocese in Chhattisgarh state, along with hostel warden
Samaritan Sister Christ Maria and a maid were arrested Sept. 11
following a complaint by the mother of a fourth grade student.
Kirtan Rathore, additional superintendent of police, told ucanews.com
that the arrest was "based on an initial medical report that suggested
injuries to the private parts of the girl."
"We are investigating. The picture will be clear only after a detailed probe,"
he said.
However, Church leaders denied the charge saying the three were
arrested in a bid to tarnish the image of the Church and create mistrust
among people.
Father Antony Bara, vicar general of Ambikapur, told ucanews.com that
the arrests were made following pressure from right-wing Hindu
activists.
He also said activists of the Bajrang Dal, a militant Hindu
organization and youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (World Hindu
Council), staged a protest and pelted stones at the school, destroying a
Marian statue.
Father Bara said the girl was staying in the Church-run hostel and
was suffering from a skin disease, including around her private parts.
Since she was not feeling comfortable, she sought permission from the
hostel warden to go home to stay with her mother.
Before letting her go, the helper at the hostel gave her a bath. When
the girl went home, her mother lodged a police complaint accusing the
priest, nun and the helper of sexual abuse, he added.
Bishop Patras Minj of Ambikapur in a statement said that the arrests
were a clear case of misuse of administrative powers as police officials
were clearly aware of the false charges.
He also blamed police of acting under pressure to tarnish Christians.
Meanwhile, the Cross Shrine of St. George Orthodox Church in Haldibadi, just 10
kilometers from the school, was vandalized.
"They managed to break one window of the sanctuary and attempted to
defile the holy place by throwing stones inside it," said Father Joshi
Varghese, the church's vicar.
Also, the cross fixed at the top of the shrine was broken as were glass panes
and floor and wall tiles.
Chhattisgarh was created in 2000, when it was carved out of Madhya
Pradesh, and both have since 2003 been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata
Party, the political arm of hard-line groups wanting to create a Hindu
theocratic state.
The Church says it has since been continuously on the receiving end of
anti-Christian harassment.
The majority of the region's some 110 million people are Hindus.
Christians form less than 1 percent of this number and the Church is
engaged primarily in education and health care among the poor.
Church critics, mostly extremist Hindu groups, allege that Church
work for the social betterment of the poor is a tactic for conversion.
Related reports
Chhattisgarh Christians Wary Of Pro-Hindu Party´s Return To Power
Christians attacked in central India's Chhattisgarh state
