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Two Catholic nuns from Kerala were arrested in Chhattisgarh for alleged religious conversion and trafficking. Congress and CPI(M) criticized the arrest, while CM Sai defended it.
A group of UDF MPs, including Venugopal, RSP’s NK Premchandran and IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer, protested in front of the Makar Dwar steps, before the start of the day’s proceedings. (Photo: X/kcvenugopalmp)
Two Catholic nuns from Kerala have been arrested in Chhattisgarh over charges of alleged religious conversion and human trafficking. The FIR, filed at the Government Railway Police (GRP) station in Bhilai, triggered a political slugfest, with Congress and CPI(M) criticising their arrest and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accusing the parties of politicising the issue.
In the Parliament complex on Monday, a group of UDF MPs, including Venugopal, RSP’s NK Premchandran and IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer, protested in front of the Makar Dwar steps, before the start of the day’s proceedings. They carried posters like “Stop attacks on minorities” and demanded action against those behind the arrest of nuns.
UDF MPs held a strong protest outside Parliament today against the shocking arrest and harassment of Catholic nuns in Durg in Chhattisgarh. They were targeted by a violent mob despite no wrongdoing.By the BJP-RSS ecosystem, all minorities are treated as criminals and lumpen… pic.twitter.com/ykUG4oFVIO
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 28, 2025
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, demanded the immediate release of nuns.
“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. 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, said Gandhi, a former MP frmo Kerala’s Wayanad, in a post on X.
Priyanka Gandhi, in a statement issued by her Wayanad office, alleged: “This is not an isolated incident. Under BJP rule, minorities are being continuously persecuted and humiliated.”
Why Were Kerala Nuns Arrested?
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.
What Chhattisgarh CM Said?
Chhattisgarh CM 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.
Responding to Sai, Congress leader K C Venugopal said instead of arresting the “Bajrang Dal goons, the Chhattisgarh CM is endorsing them and insulting the innocent nuns who were carrying out social work among the poor.”
“This goes to show how the BJP is nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing – pretending to be inclusive, while vilifying and targeting minorities in reality. This is a warning for every single community that has been given false assurances of support and welfare by the BJP – they will come after you and everyone that does not fit their agenda of hate,” he said in a post on X.
How Leaders In Kerala Reacted?
Two Kerala Ministers– P Rajeev and Roshy Augustine– visited the family of nun Preethi, one of the nuns arrested by the Chhattisgarh police. They visited the family as directed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to offer them the full support of the Left government.
A Congress delegation, led by Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan and UDF MLAs, also visited the nun’s family to express their solidarity.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), an influential body of the Catholic church in the state, strongly condemned the arrest of nuns, calling it a painful and unacceptable incident, and urged the Centre to take justifiable action.
BJP’s Kerala Unit In Tough Spot
The BJP’s Kerala unit, which has been working to expand its support base in the southern state — particularly among the influential Syro-Malabar Catholic Church– ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, responded defensively.
Kerala BJP vice-president Shaun George told reporters that the party’s state unit and central leadership had taken adequate steps to ensure that the nuns would not face any further difficulties, provided they had done nothing wrong.
“The offices of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have intervened in the matter in recent days. We have also been in frequent contact with the nuns’ family members in the state. We hope that they will receive justice at the earliest,” he said. “A team led by Anoop Antony will be travelling to Chhattisgarh,” the BJP said.
(with inputs from PTI)
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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