Social Justice Martyr – Sister Rani Maria

Sister Rani Maria was a Christian nun born on January 29, 1954, who worked for the upliftment of the poor in Indore. In 1995, she was killed by a hitman hired by moneylenders who exploited the poor people she helped. Yet, her family forgave Maria’s killer and accepted him as their son

Rani Maria and her murderer Samandar Singh; Source: YouTube; Public Domain

Mariam Vattalil was not too different from Mother Teresa – a nun by faith, she used to travel to spread education and work for the upliftment of the poor. Her compassionate social activism towards the downtrodden made her colleagues and seniors remember her as a true servant of God. Born on January 29, 1954, Mariam Vattalil was the second among a family of seven children, belonging to Ernakulum, Kerala.

Early on in her life, Vattalil realised that she was born to serve God, thus, along with her cousin Cicily, she pursued a novitiate – formal religious education imparted to Christian novices. Soon after, she was given the religious name ‘Rani Maria’.

Rani Maria led a busy life – she would coordinate social activities, teach lessons and pursue her own degree in sociology, all within the span of a few years. Later, she was transferred to the Diocese of Indore, where she worked extensively to help the poor and voice out against social injustices.

She would guide the landless poor by encouraging them to give up their alcoholic habits and organised women into self-help networks to make them capable of self-sustenance.

However, her noble deeds were not appreciated by those who extracted profits by exploiting the poor.

In February 1995, the moneylenders in the area who exploited the poor sent a hitman to murder Sister Rani Maria. Her assistance to the poor made it difficult for the moneylenders to make profits off them, so they hired Samandar Singh to kill the nun. As she boarded a bus towards Indore, she was asked to move to the back by a man, which was strange, since nuns are usually given seats at the front of public transportation out of courtesy.

This man, Samandar Singh, stabbed her as the bus started moving. He kept stabbing her repeatedly – once the bus stopped, he took her out of the bus and stabbed her again.

The passengers were paralysed with fear at the monstrosity of Samandar Singh’s actions. After Rani Maria’s sisters and seniors were called to the scene, her bloodied corpse was taken back and given the dignified rites.

Samandar Singh was imprisoned for the murder, yet, the reaction that he was given by Rani Maria’s family exudes phenomenal strength and compassion. Rani Maria’s younger sister, Selmi Paul, visited Samandar in prison and expressed her forgiveness by tying him a rakhi. The murderer was overwhelmed by her gesture and expressed repentance for his crime. At the appeal of the Vattalil family, he was released from prison after a few years. Although he was just the hitman, Samandar Singh took full responsibility for his actions.

He was accepted by the Vattalil's as one of their own, and soon he started working for the upliftment of tribal Christians in Madhya Pradesh which has been described in the 2013 documentary – ‘The Heart of a Murderer’.