Amid Political Row, No Bail For Nuns Arrested In Religious Conversion Case

A court in Chhattisgarh has declined to hear the bail plea of two Kerala-based nuns, who were arrested in Durg on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion.

On Wednesday, the sessions court in Durg observed that it lacked jurisdiction because human trafficking charges come under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act and said the nuns should approach the NIA court in Bilaspur. The nuns, Sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis, will remain in judicial custody. 

The arrests, which took place on July 25 at Durg railway station, following a complaint by local Bajrang Dal member Ravi Nigam, have ignited a political storm in Kerala, and its impact has been felt in Delhi as well. The ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, the opposition United Democratic Front, the Christian community and Church leaders, as well as the state BJP, have condemned the arrest and called for the release of the nuns.

The nuns were accompanying three tribal women from Narayanpur district to Agra, where they were to be trained and offered work at Fatima Hospital. The women and their families have reportedly said there was no forced religious conversion and that they were going of their own free will as adults.

'Protesting Attack On Minorities'

The court's decision not to hear the bail petition has intensified the political debate surrounding the arrests. MPs from Kerala staged protests outside Parliament, demanding the nuns' release and accusing the Chhattisgarh government of targeting the Christian community.

Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi said the nuns were ill-treated and accused of things they did not do. "We are protesting an attack on minorities. Women should not be manhandled. We demand an end to such atrocities."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also condemned the arrests, calling them a "deliberate act of harassment" based on a "false complaint", and accused the BJP and its ideological affiliates of prejudice against Christians. He stated that "the same people who walk into Christian homes with cakes and smiles are now hunting down nuns."

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma have maintained that the investigation is proceeding as per due judicial process, emphasising the safety and dignity of the state's citizens.

Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, however, has expressed support for the nuns, stating he believes the arrests are due to a "misunderstanding" and that the party stands by them..

Christian organisations and leaders have also accused Bajrang Dal activists of assault and coercion. The Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, has said the fact that the nuns have not got bail has made the community wonder what motivates these people to act in such a way. He said the words and actions of leaders and political parties must not be contradictory. 

The complaint against the nuns includes charges under Section 143 (trafficking of persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 4 (religious conversion) of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968.