Nirmala Carvalho

Saibella Augustine’s husband was killed by a stray bullet on 15 April. She and their daughter had joined him for Easter. This afternoon, her husband’s employer moved them to a guest house. The dead man’s sister, Sister Reyma told AsiaNews that the family is “shattered”.

Leaders of local Protestant communities, they were arrested after clashes with other animist tribesmen in Narayanpur district. The archbishop of Raipur, Mgr Takhur, told AsiaNews: 'A courageous choice by the judiciary. There was no evidence against them, only pressure from the nationalist right'.

In a video that went viral, a speaker during a VHP rally instigates hatred against Christians with delusional statements about imaginary initiation rites involving nuns. Faced with the failure of the authorities to take action, Sister Manjula Tuscano, a nun and lawyer, has filed a petition with the High Court of Gujarat.

While in Rome a group of experts prepares the Instrumentum Laboris of the Synod from the continental syntheses, in India the parish of Uttan held the gathering of its network of communities, an experience that dates back to the 1980s in the archdiocese of Mumbai. Fr. Godfrey Malu: "Listening to everyone is our style."

The state’s High Court ordered the release of Bishop Almeida of Jabalpur after he was arrested as part of a campaign by the local Child Rights Protection Commission against Catholic entities. Meanwhile, accusations have been made after an inspection at a school science lab in the Diocese of Sagar found human remains.

The Indian premier paid a visit to the Sacred Heart Church as a gesture of concern for Christians. And in a tweet, he hoped that this holiday would "raise the spirit of harmony in our society." Fr. Thelakat to AsiaNews: "A positive fact that recognizes India's pluralism. But now Christians also expect him to come out of his silence on growing anti-Christian intolerance and control extremist elements within his party."

The UN agency’s support for lipid-based nutrients to solve a problem that affects more than 900,000 children is questioned in India. Various groups complain that the solution benefits certain economic interests. The Welfare Society for Destitute Children promotes a different approach in many Maharashtra villages, namely working with the poorest families on their “eating behaviour, while promoting healthy eating habits.”

The first hearing on a petition asking for the legalisation is scheduled for 18 April. While admitting various forms of union in society, India’s government has already expressed its opposition. In a letter to the chief justice of the Supreme Court and to the president, representatives of different faiths call for the request to be rejected.

Since 1927 the Daughters of the Cross have cared for single mothers. Today their home also cares for abused girls entrusted to them by police and social services. Dedicated to life, the Sisters help young mothers understand that they and their children are safe at their home.

A mob instigated by Bajrang Dal extremists block a funeral procession. Police had to intervene to allow the family to bury their loved one on their own private land.

In the face of plummeting rubber prices, Monsignor Joseph Pamplany, archbishop of Tellicherry, calls on the central government to intervene, promising support for Hindu nationalists in return. Fr Thelakat, former spokesman of the Syro-Malabar Synod: 'A barter for money that does not consider the good of the country'.

A school principal was arrested during an inspection and boarding hostels came under investigation in the Diocese of Jabalpur, following pressure from Priyank Kanoongo, a Hindu nationalist and president of the National Commission for the Rights of the Child, who is not at his first initiative against Christian schools. Bishop Almeida called on the faithful to pray. "We have been serving the poor’ he said. In the end, “the truth will be vindicated in the court.”