How Kerala nuns, arrested for 'conversion,' caused ripples in Parliament
What's the story
Protests erupted across Kerala, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh for the fourth consecutive day over the arrest of two Keralite nuns on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking. The nuns—Sister Preeta Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI)—were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh while traveling with three women following a complaint by a ocal Bajrang Dal functionary.
Arrest
Appears to be a case of human trafficking: CM
After the arrest, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai said the case "appears to be a case of human trafficking under the guise of conversion by luring." "Three daughters of Narayanpur were promised nursing training and jobs. A person from Narayanpur handed them over to two nuns at Durg station, who were taking them to Agra," he wrote on X. The women's families, however, have denied the allegations, calling the arrests politically driven. "We sent them willingly," they told India Today.
Political backlash
UDF, LDF MPs protest outside Parliament
The incident has sparked widespread outrage from political parties across the spectrum in Kerala as well as civil society groups. Kerala's Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs protested outside the Parliament against the arrests. The UDF accused Sangh Parivar activists of conducting a "kangaroo court" at the railway station and falsely accusing the nuns of trying to convert three women, including an Adivasi woman, to Christianity.
Priyanka
Nuns were manhandled: Priyanka Vadra
On Wednesday, opposition leaders again protested the arrest of the nuns, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying the nuns were ill-treated, accused of things they didn't do. "They were manhandled and taken away by the police...We are protesting against such an attack on minorities.... You cannot accuse anyone of things they are not doing...We can't take action against this, but we can...pressurize the government as much as we can," she told reporters.
Vijayan's appeal
Vijayan appeals to PM Modi for justice
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has blamed Sangh Parivar elements for what he called a "blatant display" of their true character. Vijayan has appealed to PM Narendra Modi for justice and intervention. He said, "The Sangh Parivar's attempt to continuously undermine secularism and attack minority rights must be resisted...defeated." The case has surprisingly gained support from the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which said the nuns were not involved in any human trafficking or forced conversion attempts, rejecting Chhattisgarh CM's claims.
Arrest justification
VHP defends arrests, says Catholic Bishops's Conference obfuscating facts
Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Kerala general secretary Anil Vilayil defended the arrests. He accused the Catholic Bishops's Conference of India (CBCI) of "obfuscating the facts" and alleged that one woman with the nuns was an underage tribal. The matter remains sub judice as Union Minister George Kurian said BJP's Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is working closely with the Central and Chhattisgarh governments, and the Catholic Bishops's Conference of India (CBCI), to secure the early release of the nuns.