Nirmala Carvalho

A viral video allegedly shows Samuel Garvyn De Braganza dumping rubbish in a public area, sparking a wave of online abuse and prompting police to open an investigation. At the young man’s funeral, Father Ramiro Luis said that this tragedy teaches us that, “Every post, every comment, every act of kindness or cruelty contributes to the kind of world that we create”.

The incident took place in the Worli district of the city. In a letter, the Christian organisation Watchdog Foundation has called for an investigation to identify those responsible. ‘Christian symbols repeatedly targeted’. The religious freedom enshrined in the Indian Constitution has been highlighted.

After decades, the Catholic community in Vallakkunnu can now bury its own in a two-storey mausoleum with nearly 400 burial cells. For Bishop Kannookadan of Irinjalakuda, such an innovative and eco-friendly solution avoids communal tensions and conveys a message of faith.

In a pastoral letter, Archbishop John Rodrigues clarifies that the “Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ” is not in communion with the Pope and has nothing to do with the local Catholic Church. Promoted by a former married priest, it has called for a “mass protest” on 5 June against injustices towards Christians. But dividing the community by confusing people is not the way to combat discrimination.

On 24 May, movements affiliated with the RSS organised a demonstration in New Delhi to call for the ‘delisting’ of Article 342 of the Constitution. The aim is to pass a law that would exempt those who have converted to Hinduism. The protest by Christians and pro-rights groups.

The appeal made at the funerals of the three Baptist leaders killed in recent days during renewed clashes between the Kuki-Zo and Naga tribal groups: “I forgive those who killed my father in the name of the Lord and in the broader interest of peace.” The slain pastor had worked tirelessly for reconciliation between the two groups. Concern remains for six people still being held hostage.

On 13 May, two Salesian priests, Fr Albert Panmei Aching and Fr Peter Poji Küvisie, were abducted and later released after 24 hours in captivity. The provincial expressed his relief and thanked all those who helped secure the release of his confreres.

The victims, members of the Thadou Baptist Association, were attacked in Kangpokpi district as they made their way home from a religious conference, sparking concern in a region ravaged by ethnic violence for the past three years. For the archbishop of Imphal, the parties to the conflict must not deepen the pain. He calls for life to be defended, as well as “forgiveness” and “peaceful coexistence,” urging the authorities to restore trust.

In a village in the district of Banswara, four Catholics were arrested on charges of “conversion” for organising a Marian prayer in a private garden. At St Teresa’s Academy in Modinagar, a dispute with a teacher has become a “cause” for nationalists. Orissa human rights group: “Police and authorities complicit in violence against Christian Adivasis and Dalits”.

In a story that has sadly gone viral in India in recent days, a villager exhumed his sister’s remains to “prove” her death to officials who were preventing him from withdrawing money from her account. The community where he now lives wants him to perform a ritual bath and a series of other public acts to atone for the desecration. Otherwise, he will be banished.

As many as 55 Missionaries of Charity had been removed from the electoral roll, as had thousands of other people – mostly Bengalis – in the controversial revision imposed by the central government in New Delhi. Exit polls suggest the BJP is in the lead, but there are many doubts about their reliability as the controversy has driven turnout up to almost 93%. Official results on 4 May.

An amendment amending the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) has been introduced in the Lower House. Among other things, the bill proposes the establishment of an “authority” tasked with “seizing, managing and disposing of” the assets of the affected organisations. For Fr Thelakkatt, it is “cloaked in rhetoric” about “national security” but is a tool to fuel the “nationalist ideology” of Hindutva.