BJP condemns bishop for giving clean chit to nun in 'child sale racket'

The BJP today condemned the media statements of the Catholic Bishop Conference of India general secretary for giving a "clean chit" to a Missionaries of Charity (MoC) nun, arrested in connection with an alleged child sale racket, when a police probe into the matter was on.

Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas giving a clean chit to the arrested sister was condemnable as the whole matter was being probed by the police, a BJP release said, quoting party spokesman Pratul Shahdeo as saying.

This showed that the statement of Mascarenhas was aimed at influencing the police probe, it added.

Stating that Mascarenhas was a religious head, whose work was to preach while staying within the constitutional framework, Shahdeo said, "But he chose to come to Ranchi and gave such statements, which are not desirable from a religious guru."

The bishop had yesterday claimed that Sister Konsalia, the MoC nun, was not involved in the racket and that she herself had said so to the MoC lawyer on Wednesday, adding that she had given her statement to the police "under pressure".

 

The nun was arrested on July 5 for allegedly "selling" a child born to a minor inmate of the "Nirmal Hriday" shelter home, run by the MoC in Ranchi, to a couple from Uttar Pradesh.

She was sent to a 14-day judicial custody by a court.

"Prima facie, it appears that several babies were illegally sold by the sister and the government is also inquiring into it. An FIR has been lodged in this connection and under these circumstances, the accused should not be declared as innocent," Shahdeo said.

The BJP demanded that the Jharkhand government conducted a thorough probe into the incident so that the actual conspirators were identified, he added.

The bishop had said the MoC was not at all involved in the "sale" of children from Nirmal Hriday and that if a sister was found involved in the incident, the entire order should not be painted as being involved in this "inhuman act".

The third of the four children allegedly "sold" by the shelter home, who was rescued by the police from Simdega on Wednesday, was handed over to his adoptive parents yesterday.