Christian Churches Protest Arrest of Nuns in Chattisgarh Over Alleged Forced Conversion

Thiruvananthapuram: On July 30, 20225 a march to the Raj Bhavan was organized under the leadership of the Thiruvananthapuram Catholic Forum. The protestors, led by Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) President Mar Cleemis, participated wearing black clothes as a sign of dissent. Church leaders, including Archbishop Thomas Netto, also joined the protest.

Mar Cleemis stated that the reason for imprisoning the nuns is unclear and that Christian nuns are a blessing to a secular India. He remarked that denying them bail has sparked widespread outrage and questioned, “Is this the India of our ancient heritage?”

Sister Preethi Mary and Sister Vandana Francis were arrested under serious charges including forced religious conversion (under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act), human trafficking (under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), and anti-national activities (under Section 152 of the BNS). The incident began on Friday around 8:30 AM when members of the Bajrang Dal blocked the train in which the nuns were traveling along with some girls and their relatives, who were headed for domestic work with the permission of their parents.

Following a tip-off from a TTE (Train Ticket Examiner), Bajrang Dal activists arrived at the railway station and subjected the nuns to mob justice and harassment. Even though the nuns clarified that they were not involved in religious conversion but were traveling for work-related reasons — and even showed written parental consent — the abuse continued. It was the Bajrang Dal members themselves who took the nuns to the police station.

The nuns have been charged with serious offences that could lead to imprisonment for up to 10 years. Sister Preethi Mary has been listed as the first accused and Sister Vandana Francis as the second. The initial FIR did not mention ‘forced religious conversion,’ but that section, along with the one related to anti-national activities (Section 152), was later added under pressure from the Bajrang Dal.