Ruhi Khan
In Sangoti village near Alibaug, 75 miles south of Mumbai, nuns were attacked. The attackers claim conversions were on but the locals allege otherwise.
On March 15, the nuns from St Mary's School were brutally attacked by Hindu radicals who alleged they were converting the tribals to Christianity.
The men and women working in the school aren't Christian but they have been working with the nuns since last 10 years and their children are being educated in the school.
On Women's day, when celebrations were in full swing in the school, a mob barged in and all hell broke lose.
''They pushed me on the floor and beat me up. Then the women pulled me up, holding onto my shirt and the men slapped me hard. They were pulling my hair so hard I begged them to stop it or kill me right there,'' said Sister Merciana Tuscano, victim.
The tribal women tried to reason with the mob but were assaulted too.
''We told them that the nuns don't teach us anything about religion. We asked them to resolve this amicably but they attacked. My daughter was badly beaten. They attacked the nuns and me. I begged them not to hit us,'' said Rani Baban Naik, tribal.
Thirteen men and women were arrested. The police call it a stray incident caused due to a misunderstanding between the two communities.
''Diciples of Narendra Maharaj came there and shouted slogans and attacked the nuns,'' said Rani.
There is fear and uncertainty in Sanghoti village and community work has come to a standstill, thanks to an atrocity in the name of religion.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080044853
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