Police have lodged an FIR against three people for the alleged rape of a woman who was with Sister Valsa at the time of her murder. The investigating officer has been suspended for failing to properly investigate the rape complaint. Police have detained seven villagers who were once associated with Sister Valsa for questioning about her murder by a mob of 30-35 people carrying weapons. The murder may be linked to the alleged rape incident and opposition to Sister Valsa's activism against a coal mining company. Sister Valsa had been leading movements for fair treatment and rehabilitation of villagers displaced by company operations.

1. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111119/jsp/frontpage/story_14772238.jsp
Police find an eyewitness
3 named in murder FIR, OC suspended
SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA & RAJESH KUMAR PANDEY
Ranchi/Pachuara, Nov. 18: An FIR was lodged against three
persons for rape of an associate of Sister Valsa today, leading
the police to reveal that she was with the nun at the time of
her murder on Tuesday but had managed to flee.
IG of Santhal Pargana Arun Oraon, who visited the site of the murder in Pachuara, also
suspended the OC of Amrapara for refusing to lodge the FIR on November 8, the day
after the alleged rape, when Valsa’s associate and her parents had gone to the police
station, around 8km away.
Today’s rape FIR names one Advin Murmu, a resident of Pachuara, and two others as
unknown accused. A search is on for all three.
Oraon also revealed that the police had come to know of an aide of Valsa who had told
the OC, Banarsi Prasad, about a mob that was on the lookout for the nun on the night of
her murder.
“But, Prasad waited for daybreak to visit the place,” said the IG, who has been asked to
supervise the case by DGP G.S. Rath.
“Also, when her parents went to lodge an FIR, the OC, instead of registering the
complaint, tried to persuade them to settle the issue through local panchayats,” the IG
pointed out.
Police have detained seven villagers, who were one-time associates of Valsa’s. They are
being questioned about their whereabouts at the time of the murder executed by a mob of
around 30-35 people carrying work tools and arms like scythes, spades and choppers.
“The timing of the murder could be linked to the rape incident, though we are not ruling
out any possibility. They (the seven detained) were also among those who took part in a
road block on November 8 demanding Valsa’s eviction from Pachuara,” Oraon said.
As per new evidence, the IG revealed that Valsa’s associate was staying with her and was
present at the time of her murder. “She managed to flee the scene,” he said.
However, yesterday, Sonaram Hembrom, the owner of the house where Valsa stayed,
made no mention of the room-mate, insisting that the nun lived alone.

2. Now, a medical examination would be conducted on the associate, a 20-year-old girl,
who has been with Valsa through thick and thin, right from the days of her famed
agitation against Panem, the coal mining company with which she negotiated an
agreement that led to the rehabilitation of residents of nine villages where the joint
venture firm set up operations.
“The associate could be a vital eyewitness in the murder case,” Oraon said.
The scanner is on Panem, too. For, it has now come to light that a senior company man
had visited Valsa’s home soon after the murder. Later, he handed over a number of
Maoist posters to the police, saying he had recovered them from the site.
With the police pursuing fairly strong leads on a probable murder motive, some more
clues emerged on why a section of the villagers of Pachuara had turned against Valsa
when all she did for the last decade was to lead an agitation against a mining firm to
ensure the displaced were adequately compensated.
Company contracts were at the core of the problem, revealed the IG. And Valsa got
caught in between.
“The Sister was leading the agitation under the banner of Rajmahal Pahad Bachao
Andolan. But when the company signed an agreement on November 30, 2006, at the
behest of the Supreme Court, she became part of the committee set up to implement the
rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package,” Oraon explained.
Under the agreement, all contracts, including sub-contracts were to be given only to
project-affected people. Also, incidental or indirect employment through welfare projects
like schools and hospitals were supposed to go to residents of the nine villages leased out
to the company for mining.
But, Valsa opposed the company’s practice of handing out work contracts to others who
did not belong to the nine villages to win them over, too. “To one section of villagers,
Valsa was gradually becoming a hindrance in their design to make money,” the IG
pointed out.
Oraon said he did not believe Valsa had ditched the people’s movement to serve the
company’s interests. “She was residing in an 8ftx6ft room, cooking her own food and
sleeping on a small bed. Why would she be living in penury if she could make money?”
Pakur deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Singh, who heads a cell to redress grievances of
the project-affected people, said he received no complaints on the implementation of the
R& R package.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2636863.ece

3. Left condemns nun's murder
Special Correspondent
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The Left parties on Thursday condemned the brutal murder of Sister Valsa John in Pakur
district of Jharkhand and demanded that the State administration take immediate action.
Sister Valsa John had been fighting for the rights of the tribals and against their
displacement due to mining activities since 1995. “Her killing is a result of the threat
posed to the mining mafia,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said. In a statement,
the party Polit Bureau demanded that the State administration take immediate steps to
arrest the culprits and initiate speedy trial.
CPI MP D. Raja too condemned the murder and said there was need for a thorough
probe.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kerala/Kerala-CM-writes-to-his-Jharkhand-
counterpart-on-nun-s-death/Article1-771294.aspx
Kerala CM writes to his Jharkhand counterpart on nun's death
Press Trust Of India
Kochi, November 19, 2011
First Published: 15:58 IST(19/11/2011)
Last Updated: 16:00 IST(19/11/2011)
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Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy today said he had written to his counterpart in
Jharkhand asking him to take action against those who were responsible for killing of nun
Valsa John from this state. "Whoever is responsible must be brought before law," Chandy
told reporters after
visiting relatives of the slain nun at Vazhakkala in Ernakulam district this morning. 52-
year-old Valsa, a member of the Sisters of Charity Jesus and Mary congregation since the
last 24 years, was hacked to death on November 15 at Pachwara village in Pakur district
of Jharkhand.
She was spearheading an anti-displacement movement against a private company in
Jharkhand. Valsa's family had said she had stated that she faced death threats from a coal
mining mafia.
Sreelatha Menon: The nun's tale
The killing of Sister Valsa John over tribal rights is another episode of land dispute in the coal belt
Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi November 20, 2011, 0:03 IST

4. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sreelatha-menonnuns-tale/456050/
Ads by Google
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Why would 40 people kill a solitary nun in a remote village in coal-rich Dhumka in
Jharkhand? Sister Valsa John is better known as an activist than a nun of the Sisters of
Charity of Jesus & Mary. She left her home in Kerala and moved to Jharkhand two
decades ago as a missionary, but stayed on for the local Santhal tribals of Pachwara.
Says fellow activist from Jharkhand, Xaviur Dius, she jumped the convent wall into the
lives of the tribals in Pachwara. The Santhals had formed the Rajmahal Pahad Bachao
Andolan (RPBA) to defend their right over their land and resources. Sister Valsa was at
the forefront of their fight after mining company Panem Coal Mine Ltd signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2006 for mining rights in the area. The tribals
led by the nun had to withdraw a petition from the Supreme Court. The organisation had
to enter into an agreement with the company under pressure from political leaders and
false promises made by some activists, adds Dius. They later realised that the company
with the coal reserves of Pachwara and 32 other villages had betrayed them. Its promises
were not being kept. Sister Valsa had been raising this issue and the death is its
consequence, says Dius.
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Dius is a former member of the Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee, a state-
wide platform of activists resisting all mining MoUs. He says of all the 68 MoUs signed

5. between mining companies and the government since the formation of the state a decade
ago, work was allowed to continue only in one case.
This was after the company promised jobs, medical centres, schools and houses to people
whose land were taken away for mining. However, the company only gave 14 contract
jobs, three houses which were flooded and did not bother to build the medical centres
promised, says Dius.
The company spokesperson has denied these charges and has suggested that the nun had
differences with a section of villagers.
Medha Patkar-led National Alliance of People’s Movement says Sister Valsa had made
complaints to the police against the company. She had also complained to her relatives a
day before the murder, citing danger from the company.
With coal prices soaring from Rs 300 a tonne in 2006 to Rs 3,000 three years later, the
cost of human lives were plumbing, the nun’s fellow activists say.
Pachwara saw four more murders and several hit-and-run cases. One of the victims was
the son of the tribal leader of the RPBA led by the nun. This was followed by the murder
of another activist of the movement. His wife and son were later found dead, too, hit by a
60 tonne dumper truck, says Dius.
Whether the company was to blame or not, the death of the nun points to a land deal gone
wrong just as it has happened in many other places.
Stan Swami, another activist who played a key role in fighting the company through the
courts, says there was disagreement whether a deal should be signed with the company.
He says, “Sister Valsa walked out of a comfortable convent life and lived in a shack with
no vested interests. There was no doubt about her commitment to the people.”
The story of Sister Valsa is just another land accord gone wrong similar to the ones in
Kalinga Nagar, Gopalpur and Sarai Kela where activists have still managed to keep the
companies out of action.
Only if the nun’s sacrifice makes rulers and miners see sense in the claims of tribals to
their land, then the death won’t go wasted.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2635788.ece
Sister Valsa John buried
Staff Reporter
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6. Sister Valsa John
Related
NEWS
Slain nun took on coal mafia
TOPICS
crime assault (general)
murder
Sister Valsa John, who was murdered near Dumka in the State of Jharkhand in the early
hours of Tuesday, was laid to rest at St. Paul’s Church, Dudhani on Thursday after a
Mass.
Member of Sister Valsa John’s family, including her eldest brother Baby Malamel and
two of her nephews, from Kochi were among those who attended the funeral.
Sister Valsa John belonged to the Catholic religious congregation of the Sisters of
Charity of Jesus and Mary and worked with the people in coal mining areas of Jharkhand
for 12 years.

7. Condolence meeting
Hundreds of people, including a large number of students and her former colleagues,
attended a memorial meeting organized at the St. George’s Forane Church, Edappally,
near here, the parish from which she hailed. A special memorial Mass preceded the
condolence meeting.
Her family, relatives and former colleagues are still recovering from the shock of the
news of the death of one they recalled as brave and heroic, giving up the comforts of her
home and a cosy job to serve the poor in a distant land.
Sister Elise Chakkalakkal, who was Sister Valsa John’s colleague at St. Pius UP School,
Edappally more than two decades ago, recalled Sister Valsa as determined and
courageous in her approach to life.
She was loved by her students, whom she taught with great dedication and flair, Sister
Elise remembered. While she and friends tried to persuade Sister Valsa to join their
religious congregation, the latter was keen to respond to her missionary vacation and to
work for the poorest of the poor.
Bishop Julius Marandi of Dumka spoke of Sister Valsa John as a person with total
dedication to the cause she espoused and love for the people with whom she worked.
The Bishop told The Hindu over telephone that Sister Valsa John worked with the Santal
community, one of the biggest of the communities in the area, against the displacement of
people for the purpose of coal mining.
She had received overwhelming response from the people initially but there appeared to
be a rift among the people themselves later, the Bishop recalled.
He said that the area where Sister Valsa worked was a troubled one and it was difficult to
say who was responsible for the gruesome murder.
Sister Valsa John had given up the tranquillity and safety of the confinement of a convent
and lived among the people in their poor surroundings, braving hardships and the weather
like anyone else.
She spoke fluent Santali and was one with the people, for whom she tried to provide a
new direction, encouraging them to take up organised farming and to fight social evils.
Thrikkakara MLA Benny Behnan was among those who spoke at the condolence meeting
at which the vicar of St. George’s parish, Sebastian Vazhappilly, presided.
Fr. Vazhappilly said that the parish authority declared a holiday on Thursday for St. Pius
Girls’ High School; St. George’s High School; St. George LP School; St. Joseph’s LP

8. School; St. George’s Nursery School and St George’s English Medium School as a mark
of respect for Sister Valsa Johh, who was a teacher here more than two decades ago.
Sister Valsa murder: Did the tribals kill her or was it the
Maoists?
India Today - 10 hours ago
Mystery continues to surround the murder of Sister Valsa John, who was brutally
bludgeoned to death by unidentified assailants in Jharkhand's Pakur district. So far, three
former associates of the murdered nun have been detained and five police teams ...
Jharkhand nun murder case: 3 more people detained
IBNLive.com - 12 hours ago
Ranchi: The Jharkhand Police on Saturday detained three more people taking the total
number to seven, in connection with the brutal murder of nun-cum-activist Valsa John in
Pakur district. The needle of suspicion in the murder is now pointing at the ...
5 detained for nun's murder, CM hints at high-level probe
Times of India - Nov 17, 2011
Sister Valsa was lynched on Tuesday night by unidentified assailants in Pachuara village
in Pakur district in Santhal Pargana. The Pakur police detained five persons for
interrogation in connection with the murder on Thursday. ...
<B>Sreelatha Menon:</B> The nun's tale
Business Standard - 35 minutes ago
Sister Valsa John is better known as an activist than a nun of the Sisters of Charity of
Jesus & Mary. She left her home in Kerala and moved to Jharkhand two decades ago as a
missionary, but stayed on for the local Santhal tribals of Pachwara. ...
Seven held in Jharkhand nun murder case
Times of India - 16 hours ago
Sister Valsa John was murdered on Tuesday. Police said Valsa took the girl, 20, who
stayed with her, to Amrapara police station to lodge a complaint but was turned away.
She later met Pakur deputy commissioner who asked them to meet him again on ...
Kerala CM writes to his Jharkhand counterpart on nun's death
Hindustan Times - 7 hours ago

9. 52-year-old Valsa, a member of the Sisters of Charity Jesus and Mary congregation since
the last 24 years, was hacked to death on November 15 at Pachwara village in Pakur
district of Jharkhand. She was spearheading an anti-displacement movement against ...
Hint of motive on funeral day
Calcutta Telegraph - Nov 17, 2011
Pachuara (Pakur)/Ranchi, Nov. 17: Sister Valsa John may have incurred the wrath of a
group of local criminals for seeking justice for a raped tribal girl and that may have been
the immediate provocation for her brutal murder on Tuesday. ...
Tribal rights activist Valsa murdered in Jharkhand
Hindustan Times - Nov 16, 2011
Sister Valsa John, 50, a prominent tribal rights activist who had spearheaded an anti-
displacement movement against the PANEM coal mines in Pakur district, was murdered
in her sleep by unidentified men on Tuesday. body," said Pakur superintendent of ...
Day before murder, Jharkhand nun reported rape in village
Indian Express - 18 hours ago
This has emerged as a strong line of investigation three days after the Catholic nun was
murdered by unidentified assailants in Pachuwara village in Jharkhand's Pakur district,
according to officials. Pakur deputy comissioner Sunil Kumar Singh told The ...
Tribal leader for CBI probe into nun murder case
Times of India - Nov 17, 2011
Sister Valsa, a nun from Kerala, was hacked to death in Pakur on Tuesday night in her
rented house at Pachuara village. Reports said a gang of about 50 people surrounded her
house and attacked her weapons inside her room killing her on the spot. ...
Bishop Karikkassery mourns Sister Valsa John
IBNLive.com - Nov 17, 2011
PARAVOOR: Kottappuram Bishop Joseph Karikkassery has expressed deep sorrow over
the murder of Sr Valsa John, of Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary Congregation, at
Pachwada in Pakur district in Jharkhand by unidentified persons on Tuesday. ...

10. Police find an eyewitness
Calcutta Telegraph - 19 hours ago
... Valsa had ditched the people's movement to serve the company's interests. “She was
residing in an 8ftx6ft room, cooking her own food and sleeping on a small bed. Why
would she be living in penury if she could make money?” Pakur deputy commissioner ...
Nun killed for protesting tribals in Jharkhand
NewsX - Nov 16, 2011
... murdered in her sleep by unidentified persons on Tuesday. Sister Valsa, a prominent
tribal rights activist has been hacked to death.She had spearheaded an anti-displacement
movement against coal mines in Pakur district and had received death threats.
Nun hacked to death in Jharkhand
IBNLive.com - Nov 16, 2011
KOCHI: Valsa John, a nun hailing from Vazhakkala in Ernakulam, was hacked to death
by unidentified assailants at her home in Pakur district of Jharkhand on Wednesday
morning. Sister Valsa John had spearheaded an anti-displacement movement against a ...
Tearful farewell for vigilante
Calcutta Telegraph - Nov 17, 2011
Pakur was her adopted home since 1993, but a shocked Edapally, where Sister Valsa
grew up, also mourned her brutal death. Six schools stayed closed today while local
politicians turned up for her memorial service at St George's Forane Church. ...
You are here: Home > Indian News > Candle light vigil for Sr.
Valsa
CathNews India - 7 hours ago
More than 100 people took part in a candle light vigil in Delhi Friday to pay tributes to
tribal rights activist Sr.Valsa John, who was murdered in Pakur district of Jharkhand
November 15. Holding candles outside the Sacred Heart Cathedral, prelates, ...
Jharkhand: Coal mafia behind activist nun's death?
IBNLive.com - Nov 17, 2011
Sister's Valsa's murder has taken a political colour in Jharkhand with both the ruling
coalition and opposition making allegations and counter allegations. She was murdered in
Pakur district of Jharkhand by a group of 40 unidentified men who dragged ...

11. Slain nun took on coal mafia
The Hindu - Nov 16, 2011
Catholic nun Valsa John (52), who was involved in a movement against displacement of
tribal people by coal mining companies in Jharkhand, was murdered early on Wednesday.
The killing occurred at Bachuwari village of Pakur district, 430 km from here. ...
Jharkhand: Family blames mining mafia for nun Valsa John's
murder
India Today - Nov 16, 2011
A nun from Kerala was hacked to death in Jharkhand's Pakur district on Tuesday night.
Her killing sparked off a controversy in the state. Sister Valsa John was killed in her
rented house in Pachuara village. Reports said a gang of about 50 people ...
Amrapara OC suspended; 7 detained in Sister Valsa killing case
NetIndian - Nov 18, 2011
The officer-in-charge of the Amrapara police station has been suspended while seven
people have been detained in connection with the killing of social activist Sister Valsa
John in Panchwara village under Amrapara police station in Jharkhand's Pakur ...
Kerala nun fighting for tribal rights killed, family blames mining
mafia
NDTV - Nov 16, 2011
Kerala nun Valsa John, killed by unidentified assailants in Jharkhand, had told her family
here that she faced death threats from mining mafia.
Sister Valsa John buried
The Hindu - Nov 17, 2011
Sister Valsa John, who was murdered near Dumka in the State of Jharkhand in the early
hours of Tuesday, was laid to rest at St. Paul's Church, Dudhani on Thursday after a
Mass. Member of Sister Valsa John's family, including her eldest brother Baby ...
Kerala nun murdered by mining mafia in Jharkhand
Times of India - Nov 16, 2011
She was hacked to death by mining mafia at Pachwara village in Pakur district last night.
Sister Valsa, 53, an ordained nun with the Sisters of Charity, had been working among
tribals in the coal rich region of Dhumka for the past 20 years. ...

12. Jharkhand: Three detained in nun murder case
Indian Express - Nov 18, 2011
The police is inquiring into the killing of 52-year-old Sister Valsa John at Pachwara
village in Jharkhand's Pakur district on Tuesday night. A resident of Kerala's Ernakulam
district, she had been staying at Pachwara village for several years and ...
Nun who led mining protest murdered
Calcutta Telegraph - Nov 16, 2011
16: A nun from Kerala, known for her decade-long agitation that ensured villagers were
adequately compensated before a coal mining company was allowed to begin operations,
was murdered near her home in Pakur district last night. Sister Valsa John (53) ...
India Nun Hacked To Death; Suspects Detained
BosNewsLife - 53 minutes ago
The village where the attack took place is located in Jharkhand's troubled Pakur district,
240 miles (385 kilometers) southeast of Patna, the capital of neighboring Bihar state. "We
have detained seven persons on the suspicion of their complicity," ...
Seven detained for Kerala nuns murder
IBNLive.com - Nov 18, 2011
RANCHI: Seven people have been detained and a police officer has been suspended in
the brutal murder of nun-cum-activist Valsha John in Jharkhand's Pakur district, police
said Friday. "Seven people have been detained in connection with the brutal ...
Murdered India activist Sister Valsa John 'was threatened'
BBC News - Nov 17, 2011
The BBC's Salman Ravi says she later took up the cause of tribal people displaced by
mining around Pakur, about 400km (248 miles) north-east of the state capital Ranchi.
The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Sister Valsa John.
Left condemns nun's murder
The Hindu - Nov 17, 2011

13. The Left parties on Thursday condemned the brutal murder of Sister Valsa John in
Pakur district of Jharkhand and demanded that the State administration take immediate
action. Sister Valsa John had been fighting for the rights of the tribals and against ...
Jharkhand nun's brother says she had sensed danger
Hindustan Times - Nov 17, 2011
Sister Valsa John, the prominent tribal rights activist, who was murdered in her sleep by
unidentified men on Tuesday night, was buried at Dudhiyani in Dumka on Thursday
morning. PANEM coal mines of Pakur district in 2005 and 2006 wherein she supported
...