Nirmala Carvalho

Eleven more ethnic Kukis were killed in Jiribam district. Police describe them as “militants", a claim challenged by the Forum of Tribal Leaders who view the incident as a deliberate attack against volunteers patrolling their village after it was involved in an attack last week. Archbishop Neli calls for prayers, that life might get back to normal.

India’s Home Affair Minister Amit Shah announced the policy presenting his party’s election manifesto for the 20 November state election. Currently, 10 out of 36 Indian states and territories have such a draconian law on the books, which is used to intimidate Christians. “No government can come into my soul,” says the archbishop of Bombay. “Freedom of religion and conversion is a human right,” he adds.

Khaled Abu Ajwa, executive director of the non-profit organisation, received the award at yesterday's ceremony in Mumbai. The award recognises the children who “inspire us every day in Lebanon, across the Levant, and around the world,” he told AsiaNews. The event was an opportunity to focus on the Syrian war, which has now lasted for 13 years. Ratan Tata, the Indian tycoon who died a few weeks ago, was also awarded.

The wound in the northeastern Indian state is still open. Some houses were set on fire last night. The mainly Christian Kuki community reports continued incursions by Meitei extremists. Fears are growing that hitherto neutral ethnic Nagas might be caught up in the violence. Talks proposed by the Union Home Affairs Ministry have gone nowhere.

Surendra Jain, local Vhp leader, speaks of ‘involvement’ of church institutions in the ‘business’ of drug trafficking. In addition to ‘destroying our culture, insulting traditions, beliefs’. Three Christian organisations file a complaint with the authorities against the defamatory campaign. Words ‘contemptuous and hateful’.

The long-postponed rite takes place amid protest. The apostolic administration of the "rebel" Diocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly limited the rite to new priests who sign an affidavit in which they commit themselves to celebrate the liturgy according to the "uniform" rite adopted by the synod. In a circular he banned priests and lay people from participating in associations that “criticise the official stance of the Church”.

The complaint of judges who would like the establishment of a body on the model of the Muslim Waqf to curb clashes within the councils that manage schools, hospitals and church funds that increasingly land in the courts with wasted resources. Jesuit Fr. Santhanam to AsiaNews: "Realities not equal, but the problem exists. An examination of conscience is needed to protect the future of these assets."

Local authorities are excluding Rohingya children because they do not have the Aadhaar identification card, the biometric identification system reserved for Indian citizens, this according to NGO that filed the complaint. The Delhi High Court refused to hear the case, arguing that it is a policy matter for the Home Affairs Ministry.

Since 13 October, at least five violent incidents have been reported in different parts of the country, most notably in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. Prayer services and buildings were targeted, a family was not allowed to bury a loved one in the village cemetery. The police are complicit with the attackers. For the archbishop of Bangalore, government silence is “baffling”.

Although a ban on alcoholic beverages is in place in the Indian state, government officials and police turn a blind eye on liquor produced by local mafias. For Fr Louis Prakash, the latter “get protection” through “corruption and collusion” that “cost the lives of the poor.”

Prices vary according to demand, with surcharges, for example, for priority use of operating rooms. The government tried to address the issue in 2020, but many hospitals have found ways to unbundle charges into separate fees. Sister Beena, executive director of the Holy Family Hospital, stressed the need for universal health coverage.

The automobile magnate who passed away yesterday at the age of 86 was also known in the country for his ‘Tata Trusts’, initiatives through which millions of people from the poorest groups were able to benefit from development opportunities. The Bishops' Conference: “A beacon of compassion and generosity: he contributed to making India a global economic power, without ever losing sight of the least”.