Irinjalakuda: In a historic and unequivocal declaration, the Irinjalakuda Diocese has condemned the gruesome mob injustice and unjust arrest of two Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh, perpetrated by the Bajrang Dal, a hardline communal outfit accused of abusing government mechanisms to target religious minorities. The Diocese denounced the ongoing “mysterious inaction” of both the Central and Chhattisgarh State governments, warning that their silence amounts to complicity in the erosion of constitutional values. What occurred in Durg was not merely a local law and order issue it was a symbolic collapse of India's promise to protect all citizens equally, regardless of religion, caste, or creed.
The Diocese, deeply disturbed by the developments, questioned how such a brazen abuse of power involving public intimidation, communal profiling, and arrest without evidence could occur in a democratic republic governed by a Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and dignity for all. “The nuns were not arrested; they were publicly humiliated. The law was not enforced; it was manipulated,” the statement said. In a democracy, especially one that holds secularism as a foundational principle, the government’s role must be to intervene swiftly and impartially in incidents where hate is masqueraded as law enforcement. However, both the Centre and the Chhattisgarh Government have chosen silence, a silence that increasingly appears sinister and politically calculated.
The Diocese strongly criticized the apparent necessity of intervention from the Kerala BJP General Secretary to influence action in Chhattisgarh a move that, far from offering comfort, exposed the grim reality of governmental reluctance and bureaucratic inertia. “Why must political emissaries be sent to seek justice in a constitutional democracy? Shouldn't justice be automatic, swift, and fearless?” they asked. The fact that a state government that swore allegiance to the Indian Constitution had to be persuaded externally to examine a blatant injustice reflects not only governance failure but also a moral vacuum within the ruling class.
Drawing parallels to past tragedies, the Diocese invoked the memory of Father Stan Swamy, the elderly Jesuit priest who died in custody without being proven guilty, sacrificed to an unforgiving system that targets those who work among the marginalized. The statement lamented that minority Christians across India are increasingly being criminalized, investigated, and incarcerated without due process, often under the pressure of right-wing elements whose actions go unchecked. The Diocese warned that if this dangerous trend continues, more innocent citizens will be driven into the shadows of fear, and the tunnel of injustice will only grow darker and longer.
In its most pointed demand, the Diocese called for the outright banning of the Bajrang Dal, labeling it a terrorist outfit operating under the disguise of cultural nationalism. “It is not simply a fringe group. It is an armed, organized threat to national unity and the Indian Constitution,” the Diocese declared. The group’s repeated involvement in hate crimes, moral policing, and religious vigilantism clearly justifies its classification as a domestic threat to peace and constitutional order. The continued legal existence of such organizations raises pressing questions about the state’s selective enforcement of justice and its failure to protect vulnerable communities.
The Diocese concluded its powerful statement with a solemn warning: governments cannot afford to practice appeasement politics when the Constitution is under siege. Mere words of condemnation without legislative or administrative action are meaningless. Secularism cannot be preserved with speeches; it must be defended with laws and leadership. If political parties or elected governments prioritize electoral arithmetic over human rights, they risk endangering the very soul of the Republic. It is high time, the Diocese stated, that India reclaims its democratic promise by choosing courage over cowardice, action over indifference, and justice over political convenience.
In raising its voice, the Irinjalakuda Diocese has reminded the nation of its moral obligation to uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution. The call to ban Bajrang Dal is not a religious demand; it is a constitutional necessity one that seeks to protect India’s pluralism from being strangled by extremism. The Diocese’s stand is a testament to the resilience of those who refuse to be silent in the face of injustice and a challenge to a nation drifting perilously close to constitutional collapse cloaked in administrative silence.