Indian bishop, priests seek bail against likely arrest

A Catholic bishop and two priests in a central Indian state have sought anticipatory bail against their possible arrests in two separate cases of alleged abuse and neglect of children. 

Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur and Father Jagan Raj in Madhya Pradesh, ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), face arrest after police filed charges of cheating, abuse and neglect of children.

The charges were filed against them on March 22 following a surprise raid on a diocesan-run school and its hostel in Junwani village on March 3.

“We have completed the process of filing appeals in the high court against the lower court’s order, which rejected our bishop’s and the priest’s anticipatory bail applications,” a diocesan official told UCA News on April 4, requesting anonymity. 

“We are hopeful that the top court in the state will understand our position and grant them relief,” the diocesan priest said.

Bishop Almeida is the chairman of the Jabalpur Diocesan Education Society that runs the school and a hostel in Junwani village while Father Raj is the treasurer.

Following the raid of the school in Junwani village, its principal Nam Singh Yadav, a layperson, was arrested and sent to jail on March 7.

Yadav was charged with sexually abusing girls in the hostel. He is still under judicial custody after the lower court turned down his bail application.

Besides Yadav, a priest, a nun, and a lay employee are also accused in the case. 

Church officials said the bishop and the priest "were charged with the criminal case" after earlier allegations of sexual abuse against the school principal fell apart.

Police accused the principal of sexual abuse but students and their parents denied any abuse and sought an impartial probe.

In another case, a lower court in the adjoining district of Mandla rejected the bail application of Father Siby Nirappel, who manages a diocese-run hostel for indigenous students.

Nirappel too was accused of child labor and conversion after a team of child rights panel conducted a surprise raid on the hostel in the first week of March. 

The lower court in the district rejected the anticipatory bail application of Nirappel, forcing him to approach the high court.

Christians make up just 0.29 percent of the 7.2 million population of Madhya Pradesh. Tribal people constitute about 17 percent, while the socially poor Dalits or former untouchables constitute 21 percent of the population.

Observers say the ruling party aims to retain power for another term by projecting itself as the champion of Hindu interest and protector of Hindu and tribal culture.

Elections to the state 230-member legislature will take place later this year. The state has been ruled by the BJP since 2003, barring 15 months in 2018 when the rival Congress party was in power.

Church officials accused the child rights panel of deliberately targeting Christian schools and hostels where poor children, mostly from indigenous families, are the beneficiaries.

They termed the surprise raids and inspections a “well-orchestrated campaign” against Christians in different districts of the state as part of the pro-Hindu appeasement politics of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, yet another Catholic priest, Father R B Dionysius, was released on March 28 after being held on multiple charges, including disturbing peace and using criminal force against a public servant on duty. He is the principal of the Gwalior diocese-run St. Mary’s School in the state's Morena district. 

Dionysius was arrested on March 25 following a surprise inspection under the leadership of Nivedita Sharma, a member of the state’s Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.

Diocesan officials said Dionysius is currently undergoing therapy to recover from the trauma of his arrest and three days of incarceration.