On January 7, Father Anil Mathew was arrested in Bohal, Madhya Pradesh. The priest is the director of Aanchal, a non-government organization. He manages a hostel, where they provide free education for slum children.

The team, led by Priyank Kanoongo chairman of the state-run National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, entered the hostel for girls. They were accusing Father Mathew of cruelty to children and violating the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. They also filed a complaint about missing children because 26 girls were not in the hostel but were spending time with their families at home.

The team ordered the transfer of 41 children to orphanages. Even though they are not orphans, the team refused the parents’ appeals to hand their children over, insisting they wait until the legal formalities are concluded.

Kanoongo’s team also accused the priest of not having valid legislation to run the facility even though the hostel did not fall under the category of an orphanage since all the girls there still have parents living at home.

The team responsible for this raid, have previously  executed many similar cases. They make false accusations and raid Christian facilities such  as Christian hostels, orphanages or schools.  They have also targeted individuals, mainly priests, some nuns and even a Catholic bishop.

Father Anvil Mathew is currently in jail and his appeal for bail was rejected.

Source: UCAnews