Chhattisgarh: Suicide in a Catholic school, nun arrested in backlash

The extreme gesture of a girl who left a note accusing a nun has aroused the wrath of Hindu nationalists who cry "incitement to suicide". The diocese: she had simply summoned her parents to the school. Bishop Bara of Ambikapur: "We are close to the grief of the family. But we also ask for justice for Sr Mercy".

Ambikapur (AsiaNews) - Some exploitation around a tragic event is creating new tensions around Catholic educational institutions in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The police arrested Sr. Mercy, a Carmelite nun on February 7 on charges of incitement to suicide and remanded her for trial at a local court in Ambikapur, a major town in Sarguja district.

Sr. Mercy, originally from Kerala and in her early thirties, risks a sentence of 10 years in prison or even life imprisonment for the crime. The arrest came after a teenage student of class VI of Carmel School in Ambikapur took her own life on February 6. The nun teaches classes of younger children in the same school.

The student hanged herself in her house. In a suicide note recovered by the police she accuses the nun of torturing her. “It is not yet clear whether the farewell letter is original. But the accusations against the nun are false,” Fr.  Lucian Kujur, director of educational institutions of the diocese of Ambikapur told AsiaNews.

According to the reconstruction of the facts provided by the diocese, some girls had locked themselves in the bathrooms instead of attending their lessons. A child would have informed the nun, who - despite not being their teacher - had their identity cards handed over to her, summoning their parents for an interview with the school management the following day. In the afternoon one of the girls took her own life.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the family for the tragic loss of their daughter – the bishop of Ambikapur Mgr. told AsiaNews. Antonis Bara -. I was deeply saddened by the news. We share in their pain and offer our support. We pray for this family: may God grant them strength and comfort in this difficult time. But we also ask for justice for sr. Mercy".

This time too, what is worrying is the fact that Hindu nationalist groups immediately protested in front of the school, calling for the arrest of the nun and the principal. “Sister Mercy is not involved in teaching girls and there have never been complaints against her - says Fr. Kujur - More than 8 thousand students, both male and female, study in the educational institute promoted by the Christian minority. The school is currently closed out of caution on the advice of the police and security forces are deployed. We hope it can be reopened soon."

In a WhatsApp message widely circulated in recent hours, another religious of the diocese, the Montfortian fr. Shaji, after reconstructing the facts, comments: “Even small actions can become serious at this moment. We pray for the sisters of the Carmel School and in particular for Sr. Mercy."