Saturday, August 8, 2009

Jesuit In Nepal Knifed With A Khukuri


Jesuit Father Sanjay Ekka, pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in the Baniyatar area, sustained injuries on his head, hand and hip. He was taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in the capital for treatment. The priest is in stable condition, according to Father Lawrence Maniyar, the Jesuit superior in Nepal. "Though the details are sketchy at the moment, we believe boys of the hostel we run in Baniyatar were involved in the attack," Father Maniyar said. The Jesuits run Loyola Students Home, for poor boys, and Laligurans, a day-care center for small children in Baniyatar. According to the Nepal Catholic Directory, the home has 34 residents, all Catholics. Father Maniyar said a boy was dismissed from the hostel for "misconduct" a few days previously. "This might be the reason for the attack," he added. According to Lawrence Lama, a parishioner at Baniyatar Church, the boy must have brought "miscreants from outside" and attacked the priest.
Loyola Students' Home "The dismissal of the boy from the hostel may be the reason behind the attack. However, this is yet to be ascertained," said the layman, who visited the priest at the hospital. Lama explained that a khukuri, a curved Nepalese knife, was used in the attack. According to Father Maniyar, police have detained "a boy from the hostel" for interrogation. An official at the Maharajgunj police station, which has jurisdiction over Baniyatar, said a 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the attack. "Further investigation is on. We are doing our best to ascertain the motive behind the attack," said the official, who did not give his name. The Catholic Church established a mission in Baniyatar to cater to a growing number of Catholics belonging to the poor Tamang tribal community who migrated from Dhading district, a poor, hilly region northwest of Kathmandu near the border with China. The mission was raised to a quasi-parish in 2003 and made a parish in 2007. One of three parishes in Kathmandu, it has 1,200 Catholics.

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