New Delhi: Congress members from Kerala in Lok Sabha on Wednesday demanded government intervention for the release of two Catholic nuns jailed for alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion in Chhattisgarh.
Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis along with Sukaman Mandavi were arrested at the Durg railway station in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Congress members K C Venugopal, K Francis George, K Suresh and Hibi Eden called the incident “deeply disturbing and shocking” as the nuns were innocent and doing social work by providing palliative care for cancer patients.
BJP Durg MP Vijay Baghel, on the other hand, alleged a conspiracy by the Congress MPs to disturb communal harmony and came out in support of the Chhattisgarh government for arresting the nuns.
Venugopal said the nuns were manhandled and “falsely accused” of religious conversion and human trafficking by Bajrang Dal members. The two nuns were stopped at the Durg railway station while they were travelling to Agra.
“These two nuns are in jail without any reason for the last five days. What a cruelty this is. Is the country a banana republic? …We wrote to the chief minister of Chhattisgarh and home minister of India seeking release of the nuns. But the chief minister is repeating the same version of Bajrang Dal. What a shame,” Venugopal said.
“This is a high time to act upon. If the government is not acting, the situation will go out of control. The situation in Kerala is also burning, everywhere agitation is happening… The government has to intervene, we need a clear answer and they have to release (the nuns) immediately,” he said.
Baghel claimed that three tribal girls from Chhattisgarh were allegedly lured to Durg railway station by two nuns – one from Agra and the other from Jabalpur.
“Around 8:30 AM, one of the girls was seen crying, which drew the attention of some responsible citizens. When asked, she said she was brought there forcibly and wanted to return home,” he said.
Baghel added that social media posts led to a crowd gathering, including Bajrang Dal members and the police.
He questioned the presence of the nuns, saying, “Why did they come to Chhattisgarh for the first time and not stay anywhere except the station? These are serious questions.”
He accused Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, of spreading misinformation about the incident.
“This is a conspiracy to malign the image of the well-governed, sensitive government in Chhattisgarh and create tension between two religions. Are we not supposed to protect our daughters in Chhattisgarh,” he asked.
Congress MP George condemned the arrest, calling it an “absolutely concocted case”.
“Seeking employment is not a crime. These women have been jailed for no fault of theirs. The Bajrang Dal has made baseless allegations of trafficking and forced conversion, and the police registered a false case,” he said.
George said the matter had escalated after the bail application was transferred to the NIA court.
“This is no longer in the hands of the state government. We have urged the chief minister to act and now appeal to the Centre to intervene,” he said, warning of “widespread consequences” if the case isn’t resolved.
Suresh too raised the issue of the arrest of two nuns and demanded central government intervention. He said the nuns are innocent and were doing social work.
Congress MP Eden said the two nuns had been working tirelessly in the field of education and healthcare.
“They were wrongfully arrested at Durg station on July 25. The charges of human trafficking and conversion are completely false. This is a politically motivated case, and pressure from Bajrang Dal workers has kept them in jail for six days,” he said.
Soon after the issue was raised in Zero Hour, Congress members entered the well demanding release of the nuns.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stood in their seats protesting against the arrest of the nuns.
