'Nuns' Arrest Sparks Political Storm in Chhattisgarh– Uproar Spreads to Delhi & Kerala'
National News: What began as a local incident has now escalated into a nationwide controversy, drawing sharp reactions from Kerala to Delhi. On Tuesday, LDF and UDF MPs from Kerala staged a protest outside Parliament. In Chhattisgarh, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel voiced support for the nuns. Meanwhile, the Kerala BJP unit termed the arrests “a mistake,” and CPM leader Brinda Karat went a step further, calling the action “unconstitutional.” Across multiple states, Christian organizations have also ramped up their demonstrations.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) stated that the case is now sub judice and will be handled strictly under judicial procedures. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai added, “The law is acting independently, and the investigation will be conducted in a fair and impartial manner.”
Last Friday, GRP officials detained two nuns belonging to Kerala’s Syro‑Malabar Church—Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis—along with a third person, Sukaman Mandavi, at Durg Railway Station.
FIR allegations: The nuns have been accused of forced religious conversion and human trafficking involving three women from Narayanpur.
Sister Preeti Mary—a native of Elavur in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
Sister Vandana Francis hails from Udayagiri in the Kannur district.
Both nuns come from deeply church‑connected families. One works as a pharmacist, the other as a nurse, and both have spent several years serving in North India. Currently, they are housed in a women’s shelter home.
The case has ignited political activity from north to south India. On Wednesday, a UDF delegation from Kerala visited Durg jail to meet the arrested nuns.
The visiting MPs included:
Former CM Bhupesh Baghel said the Congress has already raised the matter in the Lok Sabha, alleging:
“Minorities across India feel unsafe. In BJP‑ruled states, they are deliberately targeted for vote‑bank politics.”
Christian groups from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala have rallied in support of the detained nuns. During the bail hearing on Tuesday, members of the community gathered outside courts in Durg, Bhilai, and Raipur to protest. Nitya Francis, from the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (Bhopal), claimed: “Sister Preeti is diabetic and needs her medicines regularly. The women accused of being trafficked were going to Agra for jobs at a convent of their own free will. The nuns were only at the station to receive them.”
Chhattisgarh Christian leader Nitin Lawrence told the court: “Some people are trying to politicize the matter, but our focus is to ensure the nuns are released soon.”
Defense lawyer Tamskar Tandon argued that the GRP acted purely on “suspicion,” without solid evidence.
Meanwhile, Christian Forum President Arun Pannalal alleged that “Right‑wing activists assaulted the nuns while they were in police custody in Durg. We will file complaints against those seen in videos shouting at and intimidating them.”
The arrest of these two Catholic nuns has snowballed into a full‑blown political and social controversy, stretching from Chhattisgarh to Kerala. With the matter now before the courts, it is expected to remain at the center of debates touching on religion, politics, and the rule of law in the weeks to come.
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