A Catholic priest in Tamil Nadu state in southern India was arrested and placed under 15-day judicial custody after he was accused of charges including hate speech. Father George Ponnaiah was arrested last Saturday after Hindu groups threatened to launch protests.
The priest was accused of hate speech in a video that went viral on social media and allegedly contained objectionable statements against Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK party and leaders of India’s ruling BJP party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Father George Ponnaiah denies hurting religious sentiments. (Photo: YouTube)
In a statement before his arrest, the priest denied the charges, claimed the original video was doctored to trap him and issued an apology. Some Christian leaders consider the arrest of the priest as an attempt to terrorize people who speak up against the pro-Hindu BJP and other radical organizations.
Meanwhile, the latest report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India, an alliance of evangelical and Protestant Christians, documented 145 cases of anti-Christian violence during the first half of 2021. It listed three murders, attacks or desecration of 22 places of worship, and 20 cases of social boycotts of Christian families when they refused to renounce their faith.
India is among the South Asian countries where heavy monsoon rain triggered flooding and landslides leaving dozens dead and scores injured. In At least 207 people died in Maharashtra state and dozens in other states.
Tens of thousands have been evacuated from flood-hit regions. The government and aid agencies including church groups in Catholic dioceses have rushed to rescue and support thousands of affected communities.
Villagers console a woman who lost a relative following a landslide at Taliye, near Mahad city, on July 24 as the death toll from floods and landslides in western India rose to more than 160. (Photo: AFP)
In neighboring Bangladesh, at least 14 people including six Rohingya refugees died after heavy rain sparked flash floods and landslides in Cox’s Bazar district. Local people, volunteers and law enforcers joined hands to pull out hundreds of refugees from heaps of mud as floodwater triggered landslides and their shelters collapsed.
Bangladeshi authorities joined aid groups including Catholic charity Caritas to help victims.
The return of a Hindu girl who was abducted and forced to marry a Muslim man in Sindh province of Pakistan is being seen a rare victory for minorities in a country battling forced conversion of girls.
Reena Meghwar returned to her parents with the help of local authorities on Monday. She was kidnapped on February 13 and forcibly married by a Muslim called Qasim Kashkheli. After her video detailing her ordeal went viral on social media, the provincial government ordered police to locate and produce the girl in a local court.
Reena Meghwar, who was abducted and forcibly married by a Muslim man, is reunited with her family in Sindh province, Pakistan, on July 26. (Photo supplied)
Police also arrested four people for abducting and torturing her. Forced conversion and marriage continue to haunt minorities in Pakistan. According to the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice, 162 cases of questionable conversions of minority girls and women were reported in Pakistan’s media between 2013 and 2020.
About 54 percent of victims belonged to the Hindu community, while 44 percent were Christians.
The death of a 16-year-old girl following torture including burn injuries allegedly inflicted by her employer has highlighted the issue of slavery of children and women in Sri Lanka and triggered nationwide protests.
Activists claimed there have been several similar cases recently but those didn’t garner media attention or yield justice. Police arrested three suspects including the wife of former cabinet minister and Muslim lawmaker Rishad Bathiudeen as the victim sustained injuries while working in their residence.
Thousands of impoverished women and children leave tea plantations to do menial work for the wealthy in Sri Lankan capital Colombo. (Photo: YouTube)
Following the protests, police launched a special operation to raid households that employ children under the age of 16 as domestic workers. Rights activists claim various sectors including the tea industry employ many children who are exploited and abused. The National Child Protection
Authority has received 12,165 child abuse complaints in the last 18 months. It has also received 48,000 calls regarding children this year.
A female Catholic weightlifter who won the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games has thanked the Virgin Mary for her success.
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