17 September,2018 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online desk
On Friday afternoon, a clutch of activists of different faiths held a press conference in the city to speak up in support of a nun who has complained against a Jalandhar Bishop. In her complaint, the nun said that the Bishop had raped her multiple times over two years.
She revealed that letters to the higher-ups in the Church evinced no response. Instead, she and her family were at the receiving end of intimidation and threats. In the conference, the speakers said that even they were guilty of the sin of speaking out very late. They wanted, like most right-minded individuals, for the Bishop to step down while the investigation was on.
On the macro level, this case should make us think how every time a religious order is challenged, or any case with a religious connection is brought to the police, the communal card is played. There is an attempt by the self-serving to paint this as a threat to the entire religion.
See through all these nefarious designs. Look at these cases as what they are - a criminal complaint against wrongdoing, a plea for justice, rather than any sinister and false notions to bring down a religion. Be logical, and do not get swayed by those who try to alarm or shift focus away from the problem, because the truth is too inconvenient for them.
Look at these claims through the prism of constitutionality and legality. Those who dare to speak out are those who feel they have been wronged. At least give them the time and space to speak out and then support them if you believe in it. Do not automatically label them as conspiracy theorists or as instruments of those who want to bring shame to a particular faith or powerful individual. Cold, hard reason and rationality is needed in times like these.
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