Nun Murdered in India After Fighting Displacement of Local Tribe Over Coal Mining
A nun, who was very outspoken about the treatment of India’s local tribal people, was brutally murdered in the Dhumka region.
Valsha John, an ordained nun of Sister of Charity of Jesus and Mary, was from the Kerala's Ernakulam district. She was a leader who championed the rights of the local tribe's people displaced by a private company that wished to mine the coal-rich region of Pachwara village in Pakur district.
According to reports, Sister John was attacked by an unidentified man who beat her with a stick and then used an axe to finish the brutality. The man was taken in to custody and was formally charged, according to a statement by Pakur Superintendent of Police Amarnath Khanna.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Family members told local reporters that Sister John mentioned, “certain threats, but we never thought that the mafia would finish her off,"
Sister John previously contacted Jharkhand State ruler Shibu Soren about the perceived threats on her life, according to a statement by the Global Council of Indian Christians.
Sister John’s family members said the funeral will “most likely be conducted at Dhumka itself."
Dr. Sajan George of the GCIC blasted the local government for its lack of security. The GCIC also holds the local government that is run by radical Hindus personally responsible for Sister John’s death.
Sister Valsha was living in the Pachwara village for the past 12 years when she started to lead demonstrations and protests over a mining camp that was run by Panem Coal, a private company that displaced local tribe people and was subjecting them to inhumane exploitation.
“She always wanted to work for the welfare of the downtrodden and the poor," said a family member of Sister John’s who spoke with reporters in Pakur.
The family also said she became emotional whenever she described the plight of the tribe’s people.
