The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) said it is alarmed over what it called the growth of hostility and violence directed against minority communities.
The attacks are happening even as those entrusted with enforcing the law and upholding constitutional values look away in apathy, the organisation said.
In a statement on Monday, Father Robinson Rodrigues, spokesperson for the CBCI, the apex body of the Roman Catholic clergy, referred to the threat issued to Christian missionaries by BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar, during a meeting in Kupwad, Sangli, on June 17.
BJP MLA’s Threat to Christian Priests Sparks Outrage
Padalkar is quoted to have said: “Whoever beats the first priest will get a price of rupees five lakhs, whoever beats the second will get four lakhs and the third will get three lakhs.
Call for Legal Action Under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 152
Rodrigues said that such a statement warrants immediate and decisive legal intervention, particularly when the incitement is explicit, direct, and poses an imminent threat to public order. The speech in question is neither vague nor ambiguous; it is categorically inflammatory and has been widely disseminated through video footage and media outlets. It constitutes a clear instance of incitement to religiously motivated violence, amounting to a grave offence under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 which penalises acts that promote enmity between different groups and threaten the unity and integrity of the nation, said the statement.
The statute prescribes punishment extending up to life imprisonment for such offences, said Rodrigues.
Selective Enforcement Undermines Constitutional Values, Says CBCI
CBCI said that despite peaceful demonstrations by concerned citizens, law enforcement authorities have reportedly failed to register even a First Information Report. This inaction stands in stark contrast to the swift legal response often seen against students, activists, and opposition leaders for far less serious expressions, such as social media posts or peaceful dissent, said CBCI. Such selective enforcement constitutes a grave breach of the Constitution and reflects an alarming erosion of institutional impartiality, it added.
Catholic Women Detained in Chhattisgarh Cited as Another Example
Another incident highlighted in the statement happened on July 25, when two Catholic religious’ women were arrested at Durg Railway Station for accompanying three girls who were traveling with them.
CBCI said that considering the seriousness of the situation, the CBCI call upon the nation and its people of goodwill; and in particular, appeal to the government of India and all political parties to rise to the occasion and take appropriate constitutional steps to save the nation and its people.
