Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging his involvement in the attack on nuns in Chhattisgarh, calling the remarks ignorant and excessive.
The police registered a case against Teena Jose for allegedly calling for a bomb attack on the chief minister in the comment box of another user's post on Facebook.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of aligning with forces that attack minorities, during election rallies in Kerala. He also criticised the CM on other issues including alleged corruption and economic failures.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has accused the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala of striking a secret deal with the BJP for the upcoming Assembly elections, alleging suppression of dissent and targeting of minorities by both the state and central governments.
BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that the arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh was due to a 'misunderstanding' and that they will be released on bail soon. He met with Archbishop of Trichur Andrews Thazhath to brief him that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister have assured the nuns would be released on bail.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other UDF MPs protest the arrest of Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh, alleging religious persecution by the BJP government and demanding their immediate release.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has accused the BJP of attempting to intimidate bishops and church leaders in Kerala to gain their support, asserting that such tactics will not succeed in the state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the BJP for allegedly attempting to divide people on religious and caste lines during a community outreach programme in her Bhabanipur constituency.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the BJP for allegedly deleting names from electoral rolls and attempting to divide people on religious and caste lines during a community outreach programme in her Bhabanipur constituency.
The Kerala BJP has contradicted the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's justification of the arrest of two Keralite Catholic nuns, stating they were not involved in human trafficking or forced conversion attempts and promising to help them.
The current situation in Kerala politics is perhaps best described as a case of the state's traditional two front politics now seeing a third front (the BJP) muscling in with the potential outcome being either a messy three front affair or a renewed endorsement of the two front pattern but with one of the old fronts compromised or quashed, observes Shyam G Menon.
BJP state general secretary S Suresh defends party leader Shone George's criticism of a Malayalam daily, Deepika, alleging its misuse for political interests ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls. The BJP maintains it respects all religions and aims for equal justice, denying any communal stance.
The BJP has defended its leader Shone George's criticism of a Malayalam newspaper, Deepika, alleging it was favouring the UDF ahead of Kerala's Assembly elections. The party claims it respects all religions and aims for equal treatment.
Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, condemns attacks against Christians in India and urges government authorities to control religious fanatics. He highlights the constitutional right to religious freedom and criticizes the silence of governing bodies in the face of increasing attacks.
A special court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district granted bail to three persons, including two nuns from Kerala, arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
Congress leader K Muraleedharan criticises blaming communities for voting choices in Kerala, responding to BJP leaders' remarks about the Catholic church. He also expresses confidence in the UDF's prospects in the upcoming election and criticises the Election Commission's arrangements.
The arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion has ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties criticizing the arrest and the Chief Minister defending the police action.
'Mob fury has become very common these days. And these attacks are all planned very well.' 'In all these attacks, you see that they have a very clear cut plan to make the victims as the oppressors and the guilty.' 'The attackers escape and they face no consequences as they have the backing of some political leaders.'
'The nuns were subjected to abusive language and all types of mental torture.'
'They should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.'
A day after the resignation of bishop Franco Mulakkal as Jalandhar bishop, 'Save Our Sisters' campaigners on Friday said the survivor nun who had levelled rape charges against him would continue her fight for justice through the legal system.
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed as wrong the allegations that two nuns belonging to a Kerala-based congregation were "attacked" during a train journey via Uttar Pradesh recently and alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was "making false statements" on the issue.
Two Union Ministers visited the family of a 23-year-old woman in Kothamangalam who allegedly took her own life due to harassment by her lover. The family is demanding an NIA probe into the incident, alleging forced religious conversion.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has asserted that the recent attacks on churches and rape of a nun were not political or communal issues but law and order problems.
She alleged that by continuing in the position of Jalandhar diocese Bishop, Franco Mulakkal and his close associates "are using the wealth of the diocese to divert" the course of the police investigation.
Coming out in the open for the first time, a nun who was allegedly raped during the recent communal violence in Orissa on Friday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident, charging the state police with being "friendly" with the attackers.
Sister Rosela Nuthangi, 65, from Sihphir village, about 15 km north of Aizawl, and Sister Ann Frida, 48, from Aizawl's Electric Veng locality along with three sisters from other nations are currently looking after 37 homeless Ukrainians and a student from Kerala in a storehouse (godown) in Kyiv and remain determined to continue with their work in Ukraine, their relatives in Aizawl said.
Although earlier reports indicated that five people had been detained in connection with the case, Nadia SPsaid no arrests or detention have so far been made in the case.
After 11 days, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department arrested two men in the gang rape of a 71-year-old nun during an attack on a convent in West Bengal's Ranaghat, about 100 km from Kolkata.
3 persons were convicted while six others were acquitted by a court in Cuttack in connection with the nun rape case in Odisha's Kandhamal district during the 2008 communal riots.
Indrani Roy/Rediff.com visits Ranaghat in West Bengal's Nadia district, the scene of the horrific rape of a 72-year-old nun, and encounters a clueless police and a frightened Christian community.
The father of the nun, who was allegedly raped during the Kandhahmal riots, has left it to Goddess Durga to get her justice."I am busy with preparations for the Dussehra festival. Let the Goddess punish the culprits," said Ignace Barwa, whose second daughter was allegedly raped during a mob attack at K Nuagauon of Kandhamal on August 25."Ours is the only Christian family in the village," Rezina said, adding that they participate in all Hindu festivals.
There are communal organisations among all religious groups, but the ultimate goal of religions and such outfits is different, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan of the Kunnamkulam Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, told reporters in Thrissur.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's convoy was on Monday blocked by angry protesters for nearly an hour.
Kermiche and an unknown accomplice, armed with knives, stormed the church, taking hostage the 86-year-old priest, three nuns and two worshippers.
'If robbery was their motive, they would have run away with the money.' 'After taking the money, they gang-raped the nun, desecrated the chapel, threw the Holy Communion, broke the statue and ran away with Mother Mary's crown.' 'We must not forget that vandalising churches and dishonouring Christians has become a regular affair in India in the past few months. This incident is a part of such destructive patterns.'
'Why is a powerful person called Amit Shah who camped in Manipur for three days not able to maintain law and order in the state?'
Five people, including the priest, two nuns and two parishioners were held by the assailants who raided the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in Normandy on Tuesday.
The home minister also said that there is no need to create a sense of fear among the minority communities.
The Agra police have claimed that the April 16 church attack in Agra occurred because of a romantic relationship gone awry.
