New Delhi/Raipur | A deeply troubling case has emerged from Narayanpur district in Chhattisgarh, where three tribal girls were allegedly lured with false promises of nursing training and job opportunities and were being taken out of the state, officials said on Monday.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai reacted strongly to the incident, describing it as an "extremely serious" case of human trafficking and an "attempt" at religious conversion.
According to the initial information, the three girls from Narayanpur were handed over by a local man at Durg railway station to two nuns who were taking them to Agra, the officials said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the girls were being "trapped in a carefully orchestrated web of deceit, under the guise of career advancement", they said.
Two nuns, Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, and a third person identified as Sukaman Mandavi were arrested from Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint from a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them, a railway police official said on Sunday.
Chief Minister Sai said the matter is currently sub-judice and under investigation. The state government has taken it very seriously and is closely monitoring the developments, the officials said.
In a post on X, the chief minister wrote, "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 said it is unfortunate that some individuals are allegedly trying to politicise 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 alleged religious conversion and human trafficking in the area.
Many reports have surfaced in which women and adolescent girls were allegedly taken out of the state under the "pretence of education or employment and later subjected to exploitation or coerced religious conversion", the officials said.
The state government has made it clear that strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty. If the investigation reveals a larger "nexus of organised human trafficking or a religious conspiracy", the authorities will pursue the harshest legal consequences, they said.
Reiterating his firm stand, CM Sai said: "This is not a political issue — it is a matter of safety and dignity of our daughters. There will be zero tolerance for negligence in such cases."
Chennai | Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday said it was disturbing to see Kerala's nuns being subjected to harassment in Chattisgarh and he slammed, "communal vigilantism enabled by state inaction."
The chief minister, in a social media post said: "Deeply disturbing to see Kerala's Catholic nuns subjected to harassment and false accusations by Bajrang Dal in Chhattisgarh.
"This targeted mob action reflects a dangerous pattern of communal vigilantism enabled by state inaction. India’s minorities deserve dignity and equal rights, not fear."
New Delhi | The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) expressed "deep anguish and alarm" on Monday over the climate of "hostility and violence" prevailing in the country towards minority communities, as it highlighted the recent arrest of two nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh.
According to media reports, the nuns were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by right-wing activists.
At a press conference here, the archbishop warned that a deconstruction of the constitutional state and communalisation of independent institutions of Indian democracy are too serious to ignore.
"The Catholic Bishops Conference of India expresses its deep anguish and alarm over the growing climate of hostility and violence directed against minority communities in the country," Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto said, reading out from a statement issued by the CBCI.
"Gripped by fear and pain, minorities find themselves increasingly vulnerable amidst rising attacks by communal elements and the disturbing apathy of those entrusted with enforcing the law and upholding constitutional values. In light of these grave developments, the CBCI issues this clarion call to the nation," he said.
The archbishop highlighted a statement made by Gopichand Padalkar, an MLA of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra, that he will give a cash reward to anyone who thrashes those visiting villages for religious conversions.
The archbishop said not even an FIR was filed against the MLA, in "stark contrast to the swift legal response often seen against students, activists and opposition leaders for far less serious expressions, such as social media posts or peaceful dissent".
He described the Chhattisgarh incident as "troubling" and said the nuns were arrested reportedly at the behest of "communal elements".
"The sisters were arrested for accompanying two women who were travelling with them. Notably, the arrests were carried out despite the fact that both women were above 18 years of age and had provided written consent letters from their parents," he said.
The archbishop said the women would have been provided employment and the nuns had gone to Chhattisgarh to personally receive them and take them to Agra. He also claimed that when the families of the women approached the police, they were denied permission to meet them.
He claimed that the charge of committing an offence under section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968 was not there in the initial FIR and was added later.
"A deconstruction of the constitutional state and communalisation of independent institutions of Indian democracy are too serious to ignore. An end of the rule of law is anarchy and no nation can wish for it," the archbishop said.
"Abdication of its duty by the courts is the beginning of it. Of late, we have seen a chief justice of India holding court to decide allegations against himself and some others sitting before deities for divine help to decide serious and highly-sensitive legal issues, rather than taking recourse to the Constitution and the laws. The latest trend of the higher court judges preaching for a majoritarian rule in the country...," he said.
Mathew Koyickal, the deputy secretary general of the CBCI, said they are in touch with the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government over the matter. The Centre is responding "very positively", he said, adding that they are also getting help from Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Asked if they had raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meetings with him, Koyickal said, "We had invited the prime minister. I think we have a little right to invite the prime minister of the country to our headquarters here. He obliged and came.... And prior to that, the prime minister himself wanted to visit our cathedral. We cannot say no to the prime minister of our country. He came, he visited us."
"We, the church, have no politics whatsoever. Whether the ruling party or the opposition or no matter if it is any party -- they are all welcome. But we are very clear on our stand.... If a government goes against human rights, against the Constitution, against our fundamental rights and freedom, we will be against that government," he added.
Koyickal said the case against the nuns was a fabricated one and demanded that the FIR be quashed.
Asked if the CBCI would demand a ban on the Bajrang Dal, he said, "Whichever organisation indulges in these anti-national activities, we do not spare them.... We do not sit back and say that let them be permitted.... We can demand that they be banned if it is necessary. We are not scared of saying that."