Kerala Nuns' Arrest: CPI Terms Action Politics Of Hatred By BJP-RSS; Meghalaya Catholic Body Writes To Chhattisgarh CM
The Catholic Association of Shillong claimed that the nuns were "only accompanying three young women with the full consent of their parents, for job opportunities".
Published : July 31, 2025 at 7:11 PM IST
New Delhi: Condemning the arrest of Catholic nuns by the Chhattisgarh police on the charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, CPI general secretary D Raja on Thursday termed the action as politics of hatred and polarisation by the BJP and RSS.
He said CPI MPs are demanding a meeting with the Home Minister to resolve the matter. "First of all, our party condemns whatever is happening in Chhattisgarh, including the arrest of the nuns. CPI and CPI(M) had sent a delegation who met the nuns and raised the issue. Now, they are trying to meet the Union Home Minister," he told reporters outside Parliament.
"BJP and RSS are doing the politics of hatred and polarisation by dividing people in the name of religion. They have turned aggressive in attacking minorities. They say one thing in Chhattisgarh and something else in Kerala, which exposes their hypocrisy," Raja added.
Meanwhile, an association of Catholic Christians in Meghalaya's Shillong has written to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, expressing concerns over the arrest of two nuns, claiming that the charges against them were "baseless" and "falsely framed".
Responding on the issue, Arun Pannalal, President, Chhattisgarh Christian Forum told ETV Bharat, "If our intention was to convert, then the British ruled for two hundred years. If we had to do politics of religion, then today the whole of India would have been Christian. If our goal were mass conversion, we would have started with the Dalit community. However, we did not include Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar or the Dalit community in our Christian society because their beliefs and our ideology didn't align. Any conversions that happen today are done legally and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution."
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh on July 25, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three women from the state's tribal-majority Narayanpur district and trafficking them.
The Catholic Association of Shillong (CAS), Meghalaya, headed by former Congress MP Vincent H Pala, claimed that the arrested persons were "only accompanying three young women, all above 18 years of age, with the full consent of their parents, for job opportunities".
"Their work is in service to humanity, regardless of caste, creed or religion. We believe such actions help foster national growth and development," the association said in the letter. The organisation of the Catholic Christians alleged that the arrest was "instigated by members of the Bajrang Dal and motivated by communal bias rather than any credible evidence".
Describing the incident as "a violation of constitutional rights", the association urged Sai to intervene for the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested. "The charges against them were baseless and falsely framed," the association claimed.
It appealed to the authorities concerned for the protection of minority rights and safeguards against misuse of anti-conversion laws. "This is an infringement on the right of minorities to practise their faith and engage in social work without fear of persecution," the association stated. It also said the nuns belong to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate and reiterated its condemnation of what it termed an "act of harassment".
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