Fr Christo Das, a priest who has devoted his life to Tribals in the Diocese of Dumka in Jharkhand, a central Indian state governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was sentenced to three years in prison on false charges brought against him by Hindu fundamentalists, this according to Mgr Julius Marandi, Bishop of the same diocese.
Fr Christo Das, Vice-Principal of St Joseph's School at Guhiyajori in Dumka district, was sentenced on December 13 to three years in prison on sodomy charges dating back to 1997.
Dumka Court judge G N Pandey gave Fr Das a month to appeal to a higher court.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Bishop Marandi said after hearing the decision: “We are shocked and saddened by the court’s decision. We were expecting justice and a favourable court order. We will appeal to the district court and hope we will get justice there”.
He added that people are holding vigils and praying “for justice to be done” in the diocese’s convents and parishes.
The Bishop explained that Fr Das is a dedicated priest who has devoted his life to help Tribals. What better evidence of this than the fact that the entire Tribal population of Dumka Diocese is supporting him.
Unfortunately, “there are one or two Tribals who have been manipulated by the fundamentalists to press charges,” he said. “Raising the issue of sexual misconduct is proof enough that their intent was to discredit the priest. Father Das himself is convinced that the charges are designed to stop his work on behalf of Tribals,” he explained.
On September 2, 1997, Father Das was stripped and paraded naked after charges were levelled against him for allegedly sodomising a 14-year-old tribal boy attending his school.
Church officials are convinced that fundamentalist groups opposed to the Church and its work are behind the accusations. But they also acted with the consent of government authorities and local law enforcement officials who were present at Father Das’s public humiliation.
Numerous rallies have taken place to protest against Father Das’s arrest and the false charges.
Diocesan sources say that “this is all a conspiracy”.
According to a Jesuit priest who spoke on condition of anonymity, the judge was compelled to come down against the priest because the area is high-risk. “Just the day before he rendered his decision, he had to move his family off to an undisclosed location”.
Jharkhand is rich in iron-ore and Tribals are exploited as casual or unskilled labourers.
The Church has been engaged in educating them about their rights under the law but its mission in favour of social justice irks Hindu fundamentalists who would prefer to have a more compliant Tribal population to better exploit ad intimidate them.