Dehradun: Close on the heels of attacks on churches in different parts of the country, two missionaries were found murdered at their hermitage in Dehradun of Uttarakhand on 22 September 2008.

Sixty-year-old Fr Samuel and Sr Mercy (35) were found dead in separate rooms at their ashram 'Samarpanalaya' at Chhota Rampur, the police said. Preliminary investigations showed both were strangulated, they said adding their bodies had been sent for post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause of the death.

The bodies, tied with ropes, were found by a watchman of the hermitage who immediately informed the police. All the belongings in the two rooms were found scattered, the police said adding, this might have been done to mislead investigators.

Fr Samuel alias Swami Aste, who hails from Meerut, was living in the ashram for the past 20 years. Sr Mercy was from Delhi. Senior police officers visited the scene and were supervising investigations.

The Congress condemned the attack and asked the Central Government to take action against the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in Uttarakhand. The Central Government recently issued advisories to Karnataka and Orissa governments under Article 355 in the wake of attacks on Christians and churches in the two states.

(Source: Economic Times, 23 Sep 2008, http://www1.economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Catholic_priest_nun_murdered_in

_Dehra_Dun/articleshow/3515701.cms)