Kerala nuns' arrest triggers political slugfest; Chhattisgarh CM justifies action

Raipur/Kochi | 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.

In the Parliament complex, 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.

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.

The BJP's move came after 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 here 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.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Law Minister Rajeev strongly condemned the incident and said that not only religious freedom, but even the Constitution itself, is under threat in the country. He urged society to view the arrest of the nuns not merely as a minority issue, but as a broader attack on the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

"Besides raising a strong protest on one hand, we are also exploring all possible legal measures to address the matter. The chief minister has entrusted Roshy Augustine and me with this responsibility," Rajeev said.

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.

KCBC president Cardinal Baselios Cleemis said the arrest was not just a question of personal freedom but a direct attack on religious freedom and the constitutional rights of minorities.

He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to uphold the country's values and ensure such incidents do not recur, especially in BJP-ruled states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.