By Matters India Reporter
Raiganj: Police have taken into custody two Catholic priests and their guard in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal in connection with the death of an alleged robber.
Father Britius Dungdung and Prakash Beck of Raiganj diocese and Bishu Soren are in police custody since March 5.
At around 1 am on the same day, a group of robbers entered St. Paul’s Boarding of Dikul Mission. The primary school boarding children shouted and got hold of one of the robbers and beat him up.
He fell unconscious. The priests sleeping at the nearby presbytery hearing the noise rushed to the boarding side. When they saw the robber on the ground, they called the police.
The police arrested the priests and the guard in the same afternoon and coaxed Besra’s family to bury his body in the evening.
When the police informed the family in Malligaon, one kilometers from the mission, villagers gathered and blamed the priests for the death. They refused to take the body for burial.
On March 6, priests from Raiganj led by diocesan treasurer Father Sunny Varkey visited Puniathpur Court to get bail for the accused. However, the hearing was postponed.
Holy Cross Sister Christin from Kolkata and Father I. P. Sarto from Asansol visited the Dikul Mission and spoke to the nuns and listened to their anxieties. They also visited the three in the police custody at Kusumundi police station.
Father Sarto told Matters India that he found the priests cheerful and hopeful of speedy release. They also sought prayers that their innocence is vindicated.
Dikul village mission under Gangarampur subdivision was started in 1996. It is about 60 km southeast of Raiganj, which is around 400 km north of Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state.
The parish has a boarding for primary boys and girls and runs a primary school. Three members the Sisters of Maria Auxilium teach in the school and look after the boarding children along with two women wardens.