Brother Ajay Kumar, who has been training to become a priest at a church in Mokama, Bihar, for the past 10 years, has accused senior church officials of harassment and alleged that they are trying to remove him from the institution.
Kumar alleged that he has faced discrimination because of his caste. He claimed that senior officials used caste-based slurs against him and told him that people from his community could not become priests.
He also alleged that false accusations of having an affair with a woman and sexually harassing her were made against him as part of an attempt to expel him from the institution. Kumar has challenged the officials to prove the allegations and called for a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Church holds meeting to address dispute
A meeting was held at the Mokama church to discuss the allegations. Bishop Sebastian Kallupura of the Patna Diocese attended as the chief guest.
Several senior priests were also present, including Father James George, Father Peter Ladies, Father Amal Raj, Father Satyaprakash, Father Gyan Prakash and Father Andrews Raja.
The bishop and other senior clergy members assured those present that the matter would be investigated impartially. They said the facts would become clear after the official findings and that further steps would be taken based on the outcome.
Questions raised over representation in church leadership
The dispute has also brought attention to concerns about representation within church institutions in Bihar.
Kumar and some local voices have alleged that people from South India hold a disproportionate number of senior positions in churches across the state, while local people face barriers to reaching leadership roles.
