- 02 August, 2025
Dibrugarh, August 1, 2025 – Bishop Albert Hemrom of Dibrugarh and Chairman of the North East Social Communication (NESCOM), issued a press statement condemning in the strongest terms the recent unlawful detention of Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh. Calling it “an incident that starkly exposes the accelerating tide of religious intolerance and organised hostility towards the Christian community in India,” the statement expressed deep anguish and unwavering faith in truth and justice.
“The women arrested were neither trafficked, nor coerced, nor manipulated into anything. They were legally adult women, moving with full parental consent, en route to secure employment and dignity in convent service. The accompanying nuns acted in full transparency and within the bounds of law. Yet, what followed was a shameful display of mob vigilantism, state complicity, and a brazen mockery of due process – all fueled by baseless, bigoted propaganda.”
The statement emphasised that Christians in India are not outsiders or enemies of the state: “We are sons and daughters of this soil. We have built schools, served in hospitals, run shelters, uplifted the poor, and carried the torch of education and compassion in every corner of this country – often in regions where no other institution dared to go.” It warned that in today’s India, Christians are being “vilified, targeted and criminalised – for living out our faith, for serving the vulnerable and for simply existing.”
Bishop Hemrom highlighted that what happened in Chhattisgarh is part of a larger, dangerous trend: “It is a symptom of a wider disease – a systematic campaign of hate, harassment and humiliation. Across India, from the tribal belts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the urban centres of Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, we are witnessing an alarming normalisation of hate crimes against Christians.”
He added, “This is not coincidence. This is a coordinated erosion of India’s pluralistic soul. The so-called ‘Religious Freedom Acts’ are being misused as tools of oppression. Vigilante groups and other extremist factions have become judge, jury and executioner in a nation that once prided itself on constitutional democracy. I ask: Where is the rule of law? Where is the conscience of this nation?”
Bishop Hemrom called upon the President and Prime Minister of India to uphold the Constitution they swore to protect. He also urged the National Human Rights Commission to immediately investigate the Chhattisgarh arrests and ensure the release and protection of the nuns and all wrongfully detained persons.
In an impassioned address to fellow Christians, the statement reads:
“To our brothers and sisters in faith: Do not be afraid. Do not give in to despair. We are not alone. We are not powerless. The early Christians too faced persecution, yet the truth endured. So too shall it now. Let every candle lit in prayer also become a torch of protest. Let every church bell ring as a call to conscience. Let every Christian household be a witness to the truth. We will not be silenced. We will not be broken. And we will not abandon our mission to love, to serve and to forgive – even when face with cruelty.”
The statement concluded with a public appeal for peace, justice, and unity—not just as Christians, but as citizens of a country they still believe can do better—expressing hope that truth would prevail, mercy would awaken the nation, and justice would roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
NESCOM
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