Kottayam: Deepika, the mouthpiece of the Catholic Church, has issued an editorial strongly condemning the arrest and imprisonment of the nuns in Chhattisgarh.

The editorial states that it is obvious by whose power the nuns were jailed and later released, and that Christians do not need to be informed about the matter.

State inaction lamentable

A pastoral letter was also read in churches of the Diocese of Irinjalakkuda, stating that protests against the arrest will continue. The letter also says that the predicament of the nuns, who have to proceed through legal channels even after being granted bail, is objectionable.

The letter also expressed objection to the central government’s inaction despite strong protests inside and outside the Parliament.

Referring to the accusatory remarks by the Bajrang Dal leader, Deepika reminds us in its editorial that people like Jyoti Sharma, who are trying to destroy the face of minorities, and their venomous offshoots, including those in Kerala, have now withdrawn their fangs and are lying low.

There isn’t a single petty case filed against Jyoti Sharma, the woman who unleashed a direct attack on the nuns and others by manipulating the police and state machinery. Meanwhile, two innocent nuns were made to lie on the prison floor alongside 52 other inmates. This, apparently, is “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. We have only seen the first chapter of the Chhattisgarh incident so far. Beyond momentary relief, there is little to celebrate.

BJD’s actions condemned

The case filed by the Railway Police, clearly under the pressure of communalist and antisocial forces, has now been elevated to a matter of “anti-national activity” and taken over by the NIA. If there remains any respect for the Constitution, the case should be withdrawn immediately, and those who committed this blatant act of religious violence should be prosecuted for sedition.

If Jyoti Sharma’s actions do not qualify as sedition, then the people in power ought to define what sedition even means, the editorial goes on to say.

India’s minorities face hostility akin to Pakistan

The treatment of minorities in this country at the hands of extreme Hindutva organisations increasingly resembles what Hindu and Christian minority communities endure in Pakistan. The same nation that once crossed its borders to protect citizens attacked for their religion in Kashmir, now sits cross-legged in silent inaction in front of communal forces within its own boundaries.

Bajrang Dal’s violent legacy

In January 1999, Graham Staines—who had dedicated his life to leprosy patients in Odisha—was burned alive along with his two sons in their jeep by members of the Bajrang Dal. Since then, numerous violent attacks have been carried out against Christians by the same group. Those governing the country must introspect whether they are standing guard for people who commit such acts.

Christian community in Kerala has woken up

Regardless, Christians in the country, particularly in Kerala, have introspected deeply. No one needs to lecture them on who helped release the nuns. They know not just who brought them out, but also whose support kept them inside.

This has been going on for a long time. Some may still naïvely believe that "this is Chhattisgarh, and Kerala is a bastion of secularism". But they must not forget: before communalism flexes its muscles, it swells the mind. That has already happened in Kerala. A glance at the venom spewed across social media is enough to confirm this. All it takes is a shower of power or privilege to make the hidden rot emerge to the surface.

The same resistance may not arise whenever religious fanaticism repeats itself—because some have already made good use of the opportunity. There were attempts to intimidate Christian institutions through raids and accusations of Maoist links among nuns. Perhaps someone convinced these actors that they are superior citizens. Or perhaps they mistook some ideological reading for the Indian Constitution.

In most states including Chhattisgarh, Dalits live under the suppression of the upper-castes.

The most oppressed need missionaries the most

It is those who are thus suppressed, who still lack the right to drink from public wells, walk public roads, or call the upper castes by their names, who need missionaries the most. Even the most uniformed police officer should understand this.

What elevates a person is not their title, but the nobility of their thoughts. Bail is a temporary win. But the lynch mobs of Hindutva, bulldozer raj, and the eerie silence from those in high places all continue unchecked.

Kerala's secular stand must be protected

Kerala must not allow this human chain of unity—built across caste, religion, and political lines—to be broken in Chhattisgarh or anywhere else. The ten days that have passed showed secularism triumphing over communal alliances. That Kerala led the way in this regard is no small matter.

This is the Indian story of secularism written by Kerala. Let not a single Jyoti rise to scatter poison over this hard-earned solidarity, the editorial declared.