Indian priests face fresh case over orphanage raid row

Police in central India have registered a fresh criminal case against two Catholic priests for allegedly assaulting public servants and obstructing their official duties while they were raiding a Catholic orphanage in May.

Police in Madhya Pradesh state on June 15 filed a case against Father E. P. Joshy, youth director of Sagar diocese and diocesan Father Naveen Brahmakulam following a complaint by Kleen Rai, a member of the Sagar district child welfare committee.

The fresh complaint against the priests comes after the police arrested them on May 8 when they objected to the inspection team desecrating the altar of a church adjacent to St. Francis Sevadham Orphanage in Shyampur.

“Now, a second case of obstructing government servants on duty has been registered against our priests,” said Father Sinto Varghese, director of the orphanage.

“No doubt, the fresh case is yet another revengeful act from the child rights protection body to target us,” Varghese told on June 17.

“We have already been facing targeted attacks on our orphanage from the federal and provincial child rights protection bodies for no reason,” the priest said.

“Now, we have to fight one more false case.” Christians say their people and institutions are targeted, mostly on allegations of conversion activities. Madhya Pradesh is among 11 Indian provincial states that have enacted a draconian anti-conversion law.