Two Kerala-based Catholic nuns, Sister Preeta Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, who were arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, have been denied bail by a sessions court in Durg. The court said it does not have the authority to hear the case because human trafficking charges fall under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. It advised the nuns to approach the NIA court in Bilaspur. The two nuns will remain in judicial custody for now.
The arrests took place on July 25 at Durg railway station after a complaint was filed by Ravi Nigam, a local member of the Bajrang Dal. The nuns were travelling with three tribal women from Narayanpur district to Agra, where the women were supposed to be trained and offered jobs at Fatima Hospital. The women and their families have denied that there was any attempt at religious conversion. They said they were going willingly and had not been forced to change their religion.
The case has sparked a political storm in Kerala. Both the ruling Left Democratic Front and the opposition United Democratic Front have condemned the arrests. Church leaders and Christian organisations have also criticised the action, calling it unfair and targeted.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the arrests “a deliberate act of harassment based on a false complaint.” He said, “The same people who walk into Christian homes with cakes and smiles are now hunting down nuns.” He blamed the BJP and its allied groups for spreading hatred and creating fear among Christians.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also expressed anger over the arrests. She said, “We are protesting an attack on minorities. Women should not be manhandled. We demand an end to such atrocities.”
Even the BJP’s Kerala unit has shown support for the nuns. Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “We believe this is a misunderstanding, and we stand by the nuns.”
Christian leaders said the arrests have caused fear in the community. Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, said, “The fact that the nuns have not got bail has made the community wonder what motivates these people to act in such a way.”
The Chhattisgarh government, however, defended its action. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said the investigation is happening as per law and that the dignity and safety of all citizens is being respected.
The nuns have been charged under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for human trafficking and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968. With the bail plea rejected in Durg, the case will now move to the NIA court in Bilaspur.
