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Raped nun goes into hiding

Arup Chanda in Baripada, Orissa

The Tamil nun who was raped last Wednesday in Orissa, has gone into hiding. Such is her trauma, that she has locked herself in a room and is continuously praying without food and water.

The rape, which took place within two weeks of the killings of the Australian missionary, Graham Stewart Stains and his two sons in the adjoining district of Keonjhar, has shocked the Christian community in Orissa.

There are more than a thousand Christian priests and nuns serving in different churches throughout Orissa. Most of them are from South India. In the aftermath of the Stains killings and the subsequent rape of the 35-year-old nun, they have panicked and are living in constant fear.

Family members from various states in South India are constantly telephoning church leaders in Orissa to enquire about the missionaries. Most of the nuns do not venture out of the church compounds and if at all they do, they are either in groups or accompanied by male members.

Police camps and pickets in and around church compounds might be a rare sight anywhere in the world, but in Orissa it is now common. After the incident, security at all churches in Mayurbhanj district has been tightened.

While a police camp guards the Stains home within the Baptist Evangelical Church at Baripada day and night, an armed police picket has been posted in front of the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church at Krushnachandrapur where the raped nun is attached.

Bands of Christian youths are seen patrolling the church compound, apprehending more attacks against their community. Said Father Roy Kochupurackal, the church priest, "This is the trend. We expect more attacks. The coming days for minorities in India will be more tough. In our sermons we ask our community members to be patient and be prepared for such onslaughts."

Commenting on the attacks on Christians allegedly by Hindu fundamentalists in different parts of India, Father Roy, who hails from Kerala said, "These are self-destructive forces and will die because of their internal feuds." He cited the examples of the Nazis in Germany and the Fascists in Italy. Comparing them with Hindu fundamentalist organisations in India, he remarked, "Such extreme and intolerant forces never survive for a long time."

Asked about the nun's present state, he was evasive about her location because of security reasons and said, "She is in isolation and continuously praying. We do not want her to be disturbed after her traumatic experience. The news of her rape was telecast by some South Indian television channels. Her father and brother rang up and wanted to come down. But I have told them not to worry. We are a family. There are many fathers, brothers and sisters to look after her."

The nun hails from the South Arcot district in Tamil Nadu. She joined the Catholic organisation almost a decade ago at Berhampore district in Orissa. Four years ago she came to the 103-year-old church at Krushnachandrapur, 16 kms from Baripada, the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj.

She teaches English at the Oriya medium residential school, which has more than a thousand boarders mostly from the villages, within the church compound. She is fluent in Oriya and is said to be a very efficient teacher. There are ten nuns at this parish which also has a small hospital.

What exactly happened on Wednesday evening?

After attending an English course camp at Sarat Chandra Vidyapith, a local school, at Baripada she went to the nearest bus stop to take a bus to Krushnachandrapur. As no bus came by, she took a rickshaw to the Baripada municipal bus terminus next to the district collectorate.

A woman there urged her to share a ride in a car which was going to Balasore. Since Krushnachandrapur is located on National Highway 5 which goes to Balasore and noticing that all the occupants were clad in saris she agreed.

As the car sped across the national highway, she discovered that the occupants in the car including the driver were men in saris. They blindfolded and gagged her and went past the Peter and Paul church towards Baisinga.

Father Roy said the attackers stopped the car at the stretches which were lonely and in turns raped her inside the car. "She said whenever a vehicle would approach from the opposite side they would drive ahead."

The Baisinga police station is located on the national highway and the places where the crime was committed falls within the precinicts of the police station. In the daytime one notices police patrols on the highway accosting truck drivers, but that evening there was no police patrol on the highway.

As a bus was heading towards Balasore the nun could free herself from her tormentors and hailed the bus. She got down near Gode Deulia village and sought refuge in a church there.

She first burnt her habit and took a bath. Then she recounted the incident to some of the other nuns. The church leaders were immediately informed and they rushed to Gode Deulia and brought her to Krushnachandrapur.

Father Roy said, "She kept on repeating that whatever has happened cannot be undone and was unwilling to lodge any complaint. We convinced her that in such case the attackers will take women of minority communities for granted and continue their crimes."

The next afternoon the church leaders took the nun to Mayurbhanj District Collector R Balakrishnan. A Tamil, Balakrishnan spoke to her in their native language and convinced her to lodge a police complaint.

A case was registered at the Baripada town police station and she was sent for medical examination.

Though the medical report confirmed torture and rape some legal complications arose as she was examined after 24 hours.

The police formed a special squad, but is yet to arrest a single culprit. Since she was blindfolded and gagged, the nun failed to describe the rapists or notice the vehicle's registration number. The police has interrogated many taxi drivers, but are still without a clue.

After the Anjana Mishra alleged gang rape, the Stains killings and now this rape -- all in a span of three weeks -- questions are being raised about the efficiency of the police in Orissa.

Angry church leaders staged a protest march in Bhubaneswar on Saturday and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, indicating that they have no faith in the Congress government in Orissa.

For the first time the Christian community in Orissa observed a general strike on Sunday to protest against assaults on Christians in the state.

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