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Two Nuns Attacked Near Mumbai, 13 Arrested
MUMBAI, MARCH 22., 2008 (CBCI News):
A mob of about 50 armed men and women, attacked two nuns
who were organising an AIDS awareness programme for local
tribals in the seaside town of Alibag in Raigad district
of Maharashtra on Mar. 15.
Sr Merciana Tuscano and Sr Philomena D’Mello, three
adivasi minor girls: Sangeetha Nayak (16), Lani Nayak (17)
and Sonali Nayak (17) and the driver Bernard Martis, were
brutally attacked.
Shortly after the mob left, the two nuns were rushed to
the Alibag Civil Hospital for treatment.
“Communal elements, allegedly followers of a Hindu godman,
bearing his badges attacked and thrashed two nuns of the
Congregation of Carmelite Religious, three teenage tribal
girls and the driver on March 15,” said Fr Tony Charanghat,
spokesperson of Bombay Archdiocese.
The incident occur red at around 10.30 am in Sahangoti
village of Alibaug taluka when
women Adivasis were gathering together to celebrate
Women’s Day on March 15, 2008.
Sanghoti is near Alibag, headquarters of Raigad district,
120 kilometers south of Mumbai.
It was an AIDS awareness programme to be addressed by
Sucheta Patwadhan
and promotion of a government unemployment scheme under
the instruction of the Collector.
According to reports, the incident took place when Sister
Mercy’s Catholic group was preparing to conduct an
empowerment programme for about 500 women from seven
villages in Sanghoti village.
Thirteen people have been arrested in connection with the
incident so far. They were released later.
Tension still prevails in the area.
Minority groups have slammed law enforcement agencies for
not taking adequate action against the communal elements
in the region and arresting them on frivolous charges.
An eyewitness account said that during the attack the
radical group accused the nuns of converting Hindu tribals
of the area to Christianity. However, the tribals came
forward to rescue the two nuns.
The Carmelite Sisters run a popular school and have been
involved with social work among the tribals for the last
13 years and the locals feel that they were “unfairly
targeted.”
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