Shillong: The National People’s Party (NPP) has strongly condemned the detention of a Catholic nun, two staff members of Catholic Charities Jamshedpur, and 19 minors at Tatanagar railway station in Jharkhand, terming the incident as harassment of religious minorities.
The group was stopped on Sunday night by personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) on suspicions of trafficking and forced religious conversion.
However, the allegations were later found to be baseless, the party said.
Father Birendra Tete, Director of Catholic Charities Jamshedpur, clarified that the minors were participants of a two-day training on adolescent health and skill development.
Despite this, the group was held until 3 am, prompting outrage.
In a statement on Monday, the NPP said the “prolonged detention without evidence amounts to intimidation” and undermines constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
The party also urged authorities to prevent such incidents, warning that they weaken the country’s secular fabric and tarnish the legitimacy of lawful charitable work.
