By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, April 3, 2025: The Opposition parties on April 3 walked out the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, protesting an attack on some Catholic pilgrims in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
A day earlier, Dean Kuriakose, the Congress member from Idukki, served a notice to the Speaker for an immediate discussion on the matter. While deploring the March 31 incident in Jabalpur as an attack on the freedom of religion, Kuriakose regretted the breakdown of the law and order in the states ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
He also demanded stringent action against the culprits.
The incident was condemned by several groups, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India that termed it as “a shocking attack on religious freedom and human dignity.”
The conference’s April 1 statement said, “It is deeply distressing that the Christian community, which has played a significant role in freedom struggle and nation-building, and has always upheld constitutional values, is repeatedly targeted, harassed, and denied its fundamental right to worship by extremist and anti-national elements.”
The bishops pointed out that the incident was part of a disturbing pattern and strategy to create communal polarization and hostility towards religious minorities.
They urged federal Home Minister Amit Shah and others to “urgently intervene and ensure that the constitutional rights of the Christian community are upheld.”
They also called on the Madhya Pradesh government “to take stringent action against these anti-national forces and ensure the safety and security of all minority communities.”
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition leaders attempted to raise the issue as soon as the House was convened for the day.
Several members standing in the aisle and shouting slogans, reported the Press Trust of India news agency.
The opposition members demanded a discussion on the alleged incident, urging the government to address their concerns.
However, Speaker Om Birla declined their request, prompting the Opposition to walk out after continued sloganeering. The walkout underscores rising tensions over the treatment of religious minorities, with the Opposition accusing the government of ignoring the issue, the agency reported.
Jabalpur, more than 310 km east of the Madhya Pradesh capital of Bhopal, houses the state’s High Court.
The Catholic pilgrims there were following Pope Francis, who has declared 2025 as the Jubilee Year. The 88-year-old pontiff has encouraged the faithful across the globe to undertake pilgrimage to select churches in their dioceses to gain special indulgences.
A priest being struck by a woman actvist of the Saffron brigade made pathetic viewing. In a country where men are condemned for raising their hands on women, it is shameful for a woman to raise her hand on a priest. The CBCI/CCBI must needs take up the matter with the4 Supreme Court and have all those nerds who indulged in the heinous attack (including the woman in the picture) brought to book.
Perhaps Christian advocates could take up the matter in collaboration with the Bishops.