New Delhi: A young novice nun traveling on the Samantha Express was harassed on August 19 simply for reading a Christian book featuring Mother Mary, sparking fresh outrage over growing hostility toward Christians in India.
The nun, identified only as Sangeeta from Odisha, was not wearing a religious habit, yet she was subjected to intimidation after fellow passengers noticed the book in her hand. Church sources confirmed that she was left traumatized, though she has since reached Delhi safely. “Even a harmless act of reading a spiritual book has become a reason for harassment,” lamented Sr. Tessy, who confirmed the incident.
This latest episode comes just weeks after two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate congregation, were arrested at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh under false charges of human trafficking and forced conversion. The sisters, who were accompanying three tribal women traveling to Agra for employment at a Catholic hospital, were taken into custody following pressure from hardline groups.
The arrest triggered widespread condemnation across India. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) denounced the case as fabricated, while protests erupted in Kerala, with leaders across the political spectrum describing the detention as “an assault on religious freedom.” On August 2, the nuns were granted conditional bail, but the case remains under trial. One of the tribal women later revealed she had been coerced by extremists to give false testimony against the sisters.
Christian leaders warn that these incidents represent a disturbing trend of intolerance where ordinary expressions of faith are targeted. “Today it was a nun reading a book; tomorrow, it could be any believer carrying a Bible,” said one church spokesperson.
The Church has urged authorities to uphold the constitutional right to religious freedom and protect minorities from mob-driven intimidation. Many faithful see the recent incidents as not just isolated acts of prejudice but part of a broader climate of hostility that Christians across India are being forced to endure.
Despite the challenges, the Christian community remains resilient. “Our faith teaches us to respond with peace and forgiveness, but also to stand firm for truth and justice,” a senior priest in Delhi said, calling on all people of goodwill to speak against such acts of injustice.