A Catholic priest was arrested after he reportedly removed the veil of a Muslim student last week.
The priest, identified as only Father Ephraim Baa, is a teacher at St. Xavier’s College in Ranchi. He was arrested after a student, Neha Praveen, complained that the priest forcibly removed her veil.
Fr. Baa was arrested on several charges including wrongful restraint, criminal force on women with intent to outrage modesty and making assertions prejudicial to national integration.
Fr. Baa, who did not deny the incident, however said, he did so only to confirm that she was indeed a student of the college.
The student had ignored his request to show her identity card. In the recent past, there were protestors, who were not students, spotted in the college campus.
Muslims protested the incident after it was reported by a local Hindi daily newspaper.
The protestors blocked roads, burned tyres and damaged vehicles despite an unconditional apology tendered by Fr. Baa and the college authorities.
In his bail application filed on Jan 10, Fr. Baa said his action was strictly disciplinary and that he had no intention to hurt any community.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Vijay Kumar granted bail and asked the priest to deposit Rs.5,000 as security.
Fr. Baa, who co-ordinates the prison ministry in Jharkhand, has offered Sunday Mass at the Birsa Munda Central Jail since 2002. He said the arrest helped him spend more time with the prisoners.
