Congress urges Odisha CM to set up SIT to probe assault against Catholic priests

The Congress on Sunday demanded to set up a special investigation team to probe the alleged assault on two Catholic priests, including a 90-year-old Keralite, in Sambalpur district of Odisha.

AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal sent a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urging him to set up a SIT to probe the reported incident.

The assault allegedly happened in the early hours of May 23 at a boys hostel in that state.


This is the latest incident in a series of attacks against Christians in BJP-ruled states, Venugopal alleged in a statement issued here.

The Alappuzha MP said it is unfortunate that such violence is becoming a recurring story in the state.

The incident of the priests being brutally assaulted in a boys hostel was a blow to human conscience, he alleged.

Urging the Odisha government to take stringent action against the culprits in the incident, the AICC general secretary said such violence not only violates the fundamental rights of individuals but also threatens the communal harmony and peace that our country values.

In a letter to the Odisha CM, K C Venugopal also requested that the constitutional rights of Christian priests and employees be protected.

Immediate steps should be taken to prevent such incidents in the future, he urged in the letter.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan also strongly condemned the incident.

He also visited the assaulted priests at a private hospital in Manjummel in Ernakulam district on Sunday.