NECARF condemns harassment of Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 02 2025: The North-east Catholic Research Forum (NECARF) has strongly condemned the recent harassment and arrest of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, calling it a deeply disturbing example of growing intolerance and targeted criminalization of minority communities in India.

"The incident is not an isolated case that could be brushed aside as an aberration, as some sectarian protagonists would like to term it to hoodwink the public, but a well-rehearsed insidious script authored by hate-mongering elements, sanctioned through a selective silence maintained by an authoritarian regime that is aiming to convert secular India into a Hindu nation", said NECARF.

In a release issued on Friday, the NECARF alleged that the incident was a calculated criminalization of Christian presence in public life, targeting those who bear witness to justice and compassion in some of the most socially and economically marginalized areas of the Indian Republic.

The Forum also strongly condemned the inaction of members of the law enforcement agencies, who allegedly chose to watch and turn against the victims by arresting them.

"Their action is even more outrageous than what the perpetrators have inflicted on the innocent victims.

We feel that the country is fast turning into a theocratic surveillance State where minority communities are being targeted under fabricated charges a country where extending humanitarian services is also criminalized as acts of conversion, while the very system that claims to be a welfare State is failing to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the neglected and the marginalized", it added.

Since January 2025, the forum noted, there have been 378 documented attacks on Christians across the country, but FIRs were registered in only 17 cases- a figure it said reflects systemic neglect and a lack of accountability.

The NECARF appealed to the Church leadership to remain steadfast in standing up against injustices done to every citizen of India and shift from tokenism to 'hard talking & truth telling'.

The Forum also urged every right-thinking citizen of the country to speak up against attempts to target minorities at the cost of eroding the social fabric, which is so colourfully woven.

Furthermore, the NECARF urged the Government of India and State administrations to uphold the safety, security, and dignity of every citizen, irrespective of their community or religious affiliation.

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