Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 52

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Today's Topics:

   1. Christian Tribals Assaulted, Locked Inside Church Over
      Prayers in Odisha's Nabarangpur (Vivek Pinto)
   2. Do we treat our domestic labour with respect and dignity
      (Nelson Lopes)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:55:55 +0900
From: Vivek Pinto <[email protected]>
To: Goanet <[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Christian Tribals Assaulted, Locked Inside Church
	Over Prayers in Odisha's Nabarangpur
Message-ID:
	<CAH3OY9xibODoYAdX4B-N4k+LEeiEf0W-SJnyeJ_Oi=LU9YncPg-JsoAwUIsXosN+BqQ9rBEUg@public.gmane.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

By:  The Wire Staff
Published in: *The Wire*
Date: January 28, 2026
Source:
https://thewire.in/communalism/christian-tribals-assaulted-locked-inside-church-over-prayers-in-odishas-nabarangpur
The mob allegedly threatened the devotees saying the church would be
demolished and the 30 tribal Christian families in the village would be
expelled if they continued their religious practices.
*New Delhi: *Members of the Christian tribal community were allegedly
harassed, assaulted and obstructed from holding prayers after a group of
miscreants entered their church in Kapena village in Nabarangpur district
of Odisha, reported
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/devotees-locked-inside-odisha-church-30-families-claim-harassment-over-prayers/articleshow/127663482.cms>
 *The Times of India*.

The mob allegedly also used loudspeakers to issue threats, saying the
church would be demolished and the 30 tribal Christian families would be
expelled from the village if they continued their religious practices.

The incident happened on Sunday, January 25. ?When the devotees questioned
why they should stop praying, the accused locked the church from outside
and forced everyone to leave,? a local resident, Tuna Santa, told the daily.


According to *UCA News*
<https://www.ucanews.com/news/tribal-mob-halts-sunday-service-locks-church-in-indias-odisha/111724>,
the mob was part of Hindu nationalist groups who warned them to return to
the Hindu faith.

The next day, locals alleged, two youths from the community ? Jaladhar
Santa (17) and Mohan Santa (20) ? were assaulted by the same mob.

A complaint was submitted at the Umerkote police station. However, the
police did not pay much heed, saying that tension had prevailed between two
groups in the village and that security personnel had already been
deployed.

?We are yet to receive any complaint on the issue, but after learning about
the incident, adequate police have been deployed to contain the situation,?
Ramakanta Sai, IIC of Umerkote police station, was quoted as saying by *TOI*
.

Meanwhile, a peace committee was formed reportedly comprising members from
both the groups and a meeting was held in the village under the supervision
of the sub-collector (Nabarangpur) Prakash Kumar Mishra.

According to Nabarangpur collector Maheswar Swain, the mob was objecting to
a house that had allegedly been constructed on ?encroached land?, and a
part of it was being used as a prayer hall.

?As per the peace committee?s decision, 15 days? time has been given to
relocate the prayer hall and to both groups to resolve the issue and live
in harmony as they did earlier,? the collector told *TOI*.

Meanwhile, Pallav Lima, general secretary of Rashtriya Christian Morcha,
Odisha wing, said these incidents were deliberately provocative and a
calculated attempt at polarisation. ?In Nabarangpur?s case, tribals are
being used against tribals,? he said, as quoted by the daily.

The incident comes weeks after a pastor was allegedly assaulted by a
Hindutva mob for conducting prayers in Parjang village of Dhenkanal
district.

On January 4, pastor Bipin Naik was holding a prayer meeting when the mob
forcefully stopped it, tied up his hands and beat him with sticks. He was
then garlanded with slippers, and force-fed cow dung. Nine people were
detained
<https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/odisha/odisha-police-detain-nine-over-attack-on-pastor-in-dhenkanal/article70538334.ece>
 in the matter on January 21, *The Hindu* reported.


------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:19:33 +0530
From: Nelson Lopes <[email protected]>
To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!"
	<[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Do we treat our domestic labour with respect and
	dignity
Message-ID:
	<CACCOym+QvqaeEj1gEr7XgMoTD8gsfcuyuDtSrWUvDghiN=dEjA-JsoAwUIsXosN+BqQ9rBEUg@public.gmane.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

Do We Treat Our Domestic Labour with Respect and Dignity?
In earlier times, domestic help was often rendered gratis by tenants to
landlords. This unpaid labour was compulsory, unquestioned, and deeply
embedded in a feudal barter system. Tenants were expected to serve their
landlords without compensation, failing which they faced severe
consequences. Attendance to the landlord?s work took absolute priority,
even over the tenant?s own urgent needs. None dared to question this unjust
practice, which in effect amounted to a form of bonded labour.

Compensation, if any, was meagre and demeaning. Domestic workers were
sometimes given only tea powder?without sugar or milk?or a measured
quantity of raw rice grains. They had to fend for themselves, burdened by
poverty and the absence of alternatives. Even more disturbing was the
silent suffering of some domestic helpers who were subjected to sexual
exploitation, enduring humiliation and fear without recourse, lest they be
exposed to further cruelty.

It would, however, be unjust to paint all landlords with the same brush.
Some treated their domestic helpers with respect and dignity, providing
fair and humane wages, even if these did not always match prevailing market
rates. Yet, oppression in various forms continued over generations. The
victims were largely uneducated, financially helpless, and lacked legal
awareness or support to resist such inhuman practices.

Thankfully, change has gradually taken root. Free education, progressive
government legislation, tenant protection laws, and the tireless efforts of
human rights activists have played a crucial role in safeguarding the
dignity and rights of domestic workers and bonded labourers. These measures
have empowered the vulnerable and challenged age-old systems of
exploitation.

One shining example, worthy of recognition and wider publicity, stands out
as truly laudable. A landlord family not only supported the education of a
domestic worker?s child but encouraged the child to progress from
graduation to post-graduation, and eventually aspire to doctoral studies.
Such an act of generosity transformed a life, enabling the individual to
rise through education, overcome caste barriers, and climb the social
ladder with confidence and dignity.

This is magnanimity in its truest sense?going beyond obligation to invest
in human potential. I salute such families who lead by example
Nelson Lopes
Chinchinim
Nelson Lopes
Chinchinim
https://lopesnelsonnat.wordpress.com


End of Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 52
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