The Jharkhand State Minority Commission (JSMC) has taken suo motu cognisance of an incident at Tatanagar railway station. On September 20, a Catholic nun and 19 tribal minors faced questioning for nearly five hours after arriving on the South Bihar Express.
JSMC Vice-Chairperson Pranesh Solomon called the matter “serious.” He said the case involves harassment of minorities by alleged right-wing outfits. “We will write to the district commissioner, SSP, and Railway Police to obtain clear reasons for detaining the nun and minors,” Solomon told reporters.
According to reports, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad members questioned the group on suspicion of human trafficking and religious conversion. They lodged a written complaint with the Railway Police. However, the minors had parental permission to attend a life skill training session organised by a Catholic institution in Jamshedpur.
Father Birender Tete, director of Samekit Jan Vikas Kendra, said the questioning traumatised the children. “We had to cancel the September 21-22 training session and send them home,” he said. He added that the ordeal caused distress to both the nun and the children.
Furthermore, former Tribal Advisory Council member Ratan Tirkey alleged that the outfits circulated photos and videos of the minors without consent.
Deputy Superintendent Jayshree Kujur confirmed the police are investigating. “We have not found conclusive evidence of religious conversion or human trafficking so far,” she said.
The JSMC team plans to visit Jamshedpur later this month. They aim to meet officials and Catholic institution representatives to ensure minority rights and prevent similar incidents in the future.
