Bhopal: A group of Hindu activists has attacked five nuns in Indore of Madhya Pradesh for their alleged conversion activities.

The activists wearing khaki shorts and white shirts holding sticks barged into the house of Anil, a driver working for the Franciscan Clarist sisters at Shukliya, 15 km from Indore, at 8.30 am on 26 October 2007. The group, lead by Mehra, Shivcharan and Manju, beat them up, accusing them of making attempts to convert the local people.

The nuns - Jincy (4o), Sayujia (27), Pavitra (26), Sweta (26) and Anna Maria (27) – were seriously injured and had to be rushed to Indore for treatment. The condition of Sr Jincy continued to be serious.  

Shukliya comes under the Banganga police station. The police initially refused to file an FIR. Additional SP and CSP Parasor allegedly threatened the local Christians with serious consequences if they dared to file an FIR. Subsequently the Regional Public Relations Office in Bhopal was informed about the worsening situation in the area. However the officer in charge refused to act, saying due to the ongoing Global Industrial Meet in Indore, no police officer would be available to help them. Even the local media refused to cover the incident.

It was then Archbishop Dr Leo Cornelio, the Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Council of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and Fr Anand Muttungal, the Regional Public Relations Officer and Spokesperson, contacted AR Pawar IPS, Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh, about their dawn to dusk hunger strike that the Church was planning to organise in Indore on 27 October 2007 in protest against the inaction of the police and their refusal to file FIR. Incidentally it was also the day of the Global investors meet. The DGP assured them of immediate action and registration of FIR.

Around 8 pm the DIG and SP Indore contacted them, assuring them of prompt action. They appealed to them to withdraw the hunger strike programme scheduled for 27 October 2007. The police immediately sprang into action and started investigations into the attack. The Church therefore deferred the protest programme to 28 October 2007.