WEB DESK
In another incident of religious discrimination and intimidation, some people, reportedly from the Bajrang Dal forced their way into a train and harassed two Catholic nuns and two other young women passengers travelling together, near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
The senior nuns were in their ‘habit’ or tradition nun’s dress with a headgear that identifies them as members of a congregation, the young women, who were going to join a convent were in regular salwar kameez.
However at the sight of the Nuns, one of whom hails from Kerala, a group of men started hurling rude questions at them, all of which were answered patiently and politely by the women.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Shah seeking strict action in the matter. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised action in the matter.
The ABVP members had accused the nuns and the postulants of carrying out religious conversions.
The four were allowed to proceed only after an inquiry at the railway station established there was no conversion involved.
“The attack in UP on nuns from Kerala is a result of the vicious propaganda run by the Sangh Parivar to pitch one community against another and trample minorities. Time for us…to introspect and take corrective steps to defeat such divisive forces”: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Those involved in the Jhansi nuns’ harassment incident will be brought before the law,” Amit Shah told reporters in Delhi on Wednesday.
According to reports, the incident took place on March 19 when the nuns were travelling on the Haridwar-Puri Utkal Express.
A 25-second video from the train compartment shows the women surrounded by some men, some of whom appear to be policemen.
Amit Shah assures action against culprits after nuns harassed in UP
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday assured strong action against those who allegedly harassed nuns during their train journey via Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
Two nuns and two postulants of the Sacred Hearts Congregation of Delhi Province were forced to get off a train by the Railway police in Jhansi after a group of men in the train, who claimed to be working for the “Hindu samaaj”, suspected that the girls were being taken for forceful conversion– an accusation that later proved to be false.
Addressing a rally in Kerala, Shah said, “I want to assure the people of Kerala that the culprits behind this incident will be brought to justice at the earliest”.