A Catholic nun and 19 adivasi minors were questioned at Jharkhand’s Tata Nagar railway station for about five hours on Friday night, soon after deboarding the South Bihar Express, after Bajrang Dal members flagged concerns of religious conversion – which investigators and Child Helpline officials have found no merit in so far. Following the incident, Christian rights groups have alleged that Bajrang Dal members also spread photos and videos of the minors on social media. The group had four boys and 15 girls. The nun, who works in tribal-dominated villages of Saraikela-Kharsawan district on adolescent awareness projects, alleged that she and the children were followed by two men while travelling from Kharsawan to Jamshedpur for a life-skills training program on Friday evening. “They followed us, and at one point, the TTE quietly asked me where I was taking them. Later, a huge mob gathered, as if I were a criminal. The passengers and the TTE began questioning the religion of the minors,” she said. The sister said that she showed permission letters to the TTE, where the guardians and the village's munda (chief) had allowed the children to go with her. “We conduct this program every few months, and these children have been in touch with us for more than a couple of years. There are children from non-Christian families as well, who still follow their own religion, not Christianity,” she said. She said some children did not have their Aadhaar cards with them as they had decided to join the program at the last minute. She said she called a priest, Birendra Tete, who is also the director of the program, in fear when the TTE said he would hand them over to the police. “I reached the station and saw the minors sitting on platforms, with no female police staff. All of them were surrounded by Bajrang Dal members, who were taking pictures of the minor girls,” alleged Tete. According to him, the children were there from 11 pm on Friday to around 4 am on Saturday, briefly with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) before the Government Railway Police (GRP) arrived and questioned them. Eventually, the Bajrang Dal members left, and the children were taken to the event in two vehicles. Pankaj Gupta, an official from Child Helpline 1098, said they have not found any suspicious activity so far. “The Child Helpline’s role was limited to ensuring the welfare of the children,” he said. Deputy Superintendent of Police, GRP, Jayshree Kujur, said, “As of now, no confirmed religious conversion has taken place. The investigation is continuing.” Arun Singh, head of the Bajrang Dal’s local unit, said a worker travelling on the train observed “protective threads” on the children’s hands and began questioning them. “The children could not provide clear answers. When the nun and priest were asked, they claimed they had permission from parents and were taking the children to Jamshedpur for a two-day training program on life skills,” he said, claiming that the children were too young to understand the program. “Authorities were alerted, and RPF officials took control of the minors, asking for documents such as Aadhaar cards, which were unavailable. The children were then handed over to GRP officials,” he claimed. On taking pictures and videos of minors, Singh said their members had done so to “gather evidence”. Eventually, the children attended the two-day event before being sent back home. Ajit Tirkey, vice-president of the All India Christian Minority Front and a minority rights activist, said they will flag the issue with the authorities, seeking action.
