As Mother Teresa's successor, Sr Nirmala met with the Orissa chief minister, police announced they have arrested five suspects over the rape of an Indian nun. The crime occurred on August 25 in K Nuagaon area of Kandahmal district when the post Laxmanananda Saraswati murder riots were at their peak, The (Indian) Statesman reports.
The victim lodged a complaint on August 26. But the police slept over the matter and it got buried in the continued and increasing number of attacks and violence in the district. It was only earlier this month that the case was brought to media focus.
Jolted by the widespread condemnation of the government, police promptly arrested five persons in connection with the case. A police inspector was also suspended for having mishandled the case.
But as it appears now a couple of those arrested hurriedly by the police are innocent, the paper says.
The five arrested persons are, Juria Pradhan, Kartik Pradhan, Biren Kumar Sahu, Tapas Kumar Patnaik and Somnath Pradhan.
Meanwhile, UCA News reports the head of the Missionaries of Charity congregation met the chief minister of Orissa on October 7 to express the Church's concern over anti-Christian violence in the eastern Indian state.
Sr Nirmala Joshi, who succeeded Blessed Teresa of Kolkata as congregational leader, told UCA News on October 8 their "cordial" meeting ended with both praying together for peace in the state.
The diminutive nun met Naveen Patnaik, who heads Orissa's two party coalition government, and presented him a letter explaining the Church's concern over the six week long Hindu violence against Christians in the state.
At the end, Patnaik, Sr Nirmala and local Missionaries of Charity superior Sr Suma prayed together Saint Francis of Assisi's famous prayer, "Lord make me a channel of your peace."
The meeting took place inside the chief minister's office in the state capital of Bhubaneswar, 1,745 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. Sister Nirmala's letter thanked the chief minister for the "strong action" he has taken in the past few days to check the violence.
Sr Nirmala told UCA News she was glad the administration has started taking "strong action" and expected such measures to continue and help build confidence among people so they can go back to their villages from relief camps.
An estimated 25,000 people now live in 17 relief camps, including one Sr Nirmala's nuns run about 20 kilometres from Bhubaneswar. Almost an equal number of people reportedly live scattered in city slums and with relatives elsewhere, archdiocesan sources said. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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(Source: CTHN)