Kochi/New Delhi: The arrest of two Catholic nuns, hailing from Kerala, in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion triggered a political slugfest on Monday with Congress and CPI (M) criticising their arrest and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accusing the parties of politicising the issue.
Defending the arrest, Sai also said he was concerned about the safety of “our daughters of Bastar.” Amid mounting protests in Kerala by both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Opposition Congress-led UDF over the arrest of the nuns, Rahul Gandhi alleged that they were jailed in Chhattisgarh because of their faith and claimed that a “systematic persecution” of minorities was taking place wherever the BJP was in power.
Noting that religious freedom is a constitutional right, Gandhi demanded the immediate release of the nuns and accountability for the injustice committed against them. “Two Catholic nuns jailed in Chhattisgarh after being targeted for their faith - this isn’t justice, it’s BJP-RSS mob rule. It reflects a dangerous pattern: systematic persecution of minorities under this regime,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
“UDF MPs protested in Parliament today. We will not be silent. Religious freedom is a constitutional right. We demand their immediate release and accountability for this injustice,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also said.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, as well as a third person identified as Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested from Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint from a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them, a railway police official had said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Sai justified the police action against the nuns, saying, “three daughters of Narayanpur were promised nursing training followed by jobs. A person from Narayanpur handed them over to two nuns at Durg station, who were taking the daughters to Agra. An attempt was being made to convert them by human trafficking by luring them.”
“This is a serious matter related to the safety of women. The investigation is still ongoing in this matter. The case is sub-judice, and the law will take its own course. Chhattisgarh is a peace-loving state where people of all religions and communities live in harmony. It is very unfortunate to politicise the issue related to the safety of our daughters of Bastar,” the chief minister asserted.