C’garh: Arrest of 2 Kerala Nuns in C’garh Over Suspected Religious Conversion Stirs Huge Row

Raipur: Amid criticism over the recent arrest of two Malayali nuns at the Durg railway station in the state over charges of religious conversion from several quarters, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Monday regretted politicization of the matter by ‘some individuals’, and termed the incident “fundamentally about the safety of the daughters and the preservation of the religious freedom”.

Mr. Sai’s comments follow the sharp reaction to the development by several senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and K C Venugopal who described it a ‘grave attack on minority rights.’

The chief minister reacted strongly to the incident of three tribal girls being taken out of the state on the alleged ‘false promises of nursing training and job opportunities’, describing it as a ‘serious case of human trafficking and an attempt at religious conversion’.

Official sources said, the three girls from Narayanpur were handed over by a man at the Durg railway station on July 25 to the two nuns who were taking them to Agra.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that the girls were being trapped in a carefully orchestrated web of deceit, under the guise of career advancement. The state government has taken it very seriously and is closely monitoring the developments”, a spokesman of the Chhattisgarh government said on Monday.

Taking to X, the chief minister said ‘This is an extremely serious case concerning the safety of women. Our government is monitoring the situation with utmost vigilance. The daughters of Bastar are the pride of our culture and identity”.

He further said it is unfortunate that some individuals are trying to politicize the issue, when in fact it is fundamentally about the safety of daughters and the preservation of religious freedom.

“Bastar, the region where the incident took place, is a cultural and historical stronghold of tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. Over the past few years, there has been growing concern over rising cases of religious conversion and human trafficking in the area.

Many reports have surfaced in which women and adolescent girls were taken out of the state under the pretense of education or employment and later subjected to exploitation or coerced into religious conversion”, he said in his post on X.

Indicating strong action against those found guilty in Friday’s incident at Durg railway station, Mr. Sai said “If the investigation reveals a larger nexus of organized human trafficking or a religious conspiracy, the authorities will pursue the highest legal consequences”.

He reiterated that “This is not a political issue- it is a matter of safety and dignity of our daughters. There will be zero tolerance of negligence in such cases”.

The two nuns, Preetha Mary and Vandana Francis, along with a youth Sukhman were arrested at the Durg railway station on Friday, while they were accompanying three tribal girls from Narayanpur district in Bastar in Chhattisgarh to Agra, on charges of forced religious conversion and human trafficking.

In a post on X, Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said “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 prosecution of minorities under this regime.

UDF (United Democratic Front) 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”.

Reacting to the development, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi ‘strongly condemned’ the incident, saying that ‘The detention of two Christian nuns- Sister Vandana and Sister Preethi- along with others, without legal basis and on false allegations of conversion and trafficking, is a grave attack on minority rights.

This is not an isolated case- under BJP rule, minorities are being systematically harassed and vilified.

Mob justice and communal targeting have no place in our democracy. The rule of law must prevail.”

In his post on X, Mr. Venugopal said the two nuns were ‘targeted by violent mob despite no wrongdoing’.

“By the BJP-RSS ecosystem, all minorities are treated as criminals and lumpen elements are unleashed to intimidate fellow citizens practicing their faith”, he said.