Catholic nun and 19 minors detained at railway station in Jamshedpur following VHP complaint

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, Sept. 21, 2025 —A Catholic nun, two staff members of a Catholic NGO, and 19 minors were detained by a joint team of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) late Friday evening at Tatanagar railway station in Jamshedpur. The detention followed a complaint lodged on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) portal alleging that the minors were being trafficked by the nun and the two staff members. The information was forwarded to the RPF and GRP, who intercepted the group at platforms 4–5 and took them to the railway police station.

VHP and Bajrang Dal members soon arrived at the station, claiming that the nun had brought the minors with alleged plans to employ them in Karandih. The nun was taken into custody for questioning. The VHP members also alleged that the children were being transported for religious conversion. On hearing of the detention, several Catholic priests from the Jamshedpur Diocese rushed to the police station late at night.

Speaking to Catholic Connect News, Father Birendra Tete, Director of Catholic Charities Jamshedpur, clarified that the minors had been invited to participate in a two-day training programme focused on adolescent health and skill development, which was scheduled to take place on September 20–21 at the NGO’s centre in Sundernagar.

“These children came from Rajkharsawan. We, at Catholic Charities Jamshedpur, are running projects focused on adolescent health and skill development and had invited the children for two days of training. Initially, we had permission letters from the parents of 12 children, but due to last-minute changes, more joined. Some did not have Aadhaar cards or parental consent letters, which created complications,” Father Birendra explained.

He added that groups from VHP and Bajrang Dal accused Catholic Charities of attempting to convert the children to Christianity, which led to the disruption.

After several hours of interrogation, the priests, the nun, and the two project staff were asked to sign an application before being released. They, along with the minors, were kept at the police station until 3 a.m. on Saturday. Following their release, the police escorted the group to the Catholic Charities centre in Sundernagar, Jamshedpur.

Despite the late-night ordeal, the training programme went ahead as planned. It began on Saturday morning and concluded on Sunday afternoon. The children successfully participated in the sessions and, after lunch on Sunday, returned to their respective homes.

“The police had no issues with us. The only problem arose because of the complaint filed by VHP and Bajrang Dal members accusing us of conversion. Apart from that, there was no objection,” Father Birendra said.“We are considering how to respond to the allegations made by VHP and Bajrang Dal, but we will not remain silent,” he added.

By Catholic Connect Reporter