By Blasius Tete
Mon: A Salesian priest on June 9 received head injuries after a young man hit him with the statue of Don Bosco in the eastern Indian state of Nagaland.
The incident occurred in the evening at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School at Mon, a town some 325 km northeast of Kohima, the state capital.
The injured priest, Father Arokiasamy Savarimuthu, is the incharge of the school and his attacker was identified as Pushai Konyak, 25.
The police have started a probe into the incident,
Salesian Brother Alexius Tuti, who works in the school, said the youth came to the school book counter and demanded 2,000 rupees.
Brother Tuti told Konyak that he had to give the money to Father Savarimuthu. The youth then asked Sacred Heart Sister Reny Catherine, a collaborator in the school, who too told him that she would not give money from the bookstall.
After sometime, Father Savarimuthu reached the school and went to his room. Konyak, who followed him, took the statue and hit the priest on his head. He closed the priest’s mouth with one hand and caught his neck by the other.
Brother Tuti, who came to the scene, tried to separate the two. He also called Father John Kikon, who was in the kitchen. Brother Tuti and Father Kikon separated Father Savarimuthu and Konyak and brought the situation under control.
As news spread, Catholics, school authorities and members of the Konyak students’ union arrived.
A First Information Report was registered against Konyak.
Father Savarimuthu was taken to the hospital for the first aid. They returned around 9:15 pm.
Konyak later said he wanted to avenge Father Savarimuthu for dismissing him from the school in 2007 when he was an eighth grader.
The priest said he neither knows his attackers nor recalls expelling him from the school.
“So the sole motive of the boy was to get easy money and nothing else,” said Sister Catherine.
The Don Bosco Higher Secondary School in Mon is functions under the diocese of Kohima. The Salesians set it up in 1980. It now has more than 1,800 students.
From this report I understand that there was “NO DIALOGUE” between the Brother/Sister and the youth.
Brother and Sister do not seem to have made any effort to talk to the youth and understand his needs, demands or concerns.
The youth demanded money from two persons. Since these two refused, the youth attacks the third person. For attacking the third person, the reason is not money but dismissal!?! The story sounds like a puzzle.
Something is fishy. The report seems to be incomplete. The detailed probe by the police may bring out some “skeletons”, who knows?
It is very sad to hear that the missionaries are attacked by the anti social elements. The priets and nuns have sacrifised their lives for the noble cause but still they are misunderstood. We believe and are convinced that God is at our side. Nobody can stop the work of God. As it is very vividly said,” If God is with us who can be against us.” We get strength from God and He takes care of us.
Fr. L.D. Phonce SDB.
Unfortunate incident. In psychology we learn about the Karpman’s Triangle that has three personae – Persecutor, Victim and Rescuer. Very often after being rescued from the Persecutor the Victim takes out its angst against the Rescuer. Those working for social uplift need to bear this in mind.