Two Kerala Catholic nuns, Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethi, were arrested by the police in Chhattisgarh on July 26 at Durg railway station on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, both charges vehemently denounced as false by Church organisations and opposition parties.
The nuns, belonging to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) in the Syro-Malabar Church, were taking three young women from Agra to Chhattisgarh for domestic work.
The women, aged between 19 and 22 years, were reportedly travelling with the nuns to start domestic work. A Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) queried the group for lacking platform tickets and, upon being told that the women were with the nuns, he allegedly called local members of the Bajrang Dal.
Right-wing activists came to the station and accused the nuns of conducting forced religious conversions. Even though the women told the people that they were Christians already and had signed letters of consent from their parents along with valid ID cards, the mob made the group get off the train. One of the brothers of the girls was also said to be present.
Later, the police lodged cases under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act. Police later asserted that one of the girls had said that she was abducted without complete consent.
The arrests have invited fierce political criticism. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP government for being responsible for “systematic persecution of minorities,” calling for an immediate release of the nuns. UDF MPs protested in Parliament, calling the arrest unwarranted.
Christian organisations, too, have criticised the arrests as “mob-fueled” and called for a neutral investigation. Till now, both nuns are in judicial custody while the Church and legal community fight for their release.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in ensuring justice to Catholic nuns from the state who were arrested in Chhattisgarh.
In the letter, the CM pointed out that Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethi were recently taken into custody by the police from Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh.
The nuns were taken into custody when they went to pick up those who came for a job in their convent, he said.
The CM also pointed out that relatives of the nuns have complained that they had not been able to communicate with them after they were taken into custody.
Vijayan requested PM Modi to intervene in the issue directly and ensure transparent and fair proceedings in the matter, the CMO statement added.
