Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding justice for the unfairly arrested nuns.
Published Jul 28, 2025 | 4:26 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2025 | 4:26 PM
LDF MPs protesting outside Parliament, seeking justice for two nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh, on Monday, 28 July.
Synopsis: Sister Preethi Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate face charges under Section 4 of Chhattisgarh’s Prohibition of Forced Conversion Act and Section 143 of the BNS. They were arrested at the Durg Railway Station last Friday.
The arrest of two Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh has evoked a sharp response from Kerala, with MPs from both ruling LDF and Opposition UDF protesting against the Chhattisgarh police toeing the Bajrang Dal line.
MPs from Kerala protested after the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha rejected adjournment notices. Joining the protest, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the central government of systemic persecution of minorities.
“We will not be silent. Religious freedom is a constitutional right. We demand their immediate release and accountability for this injustice,” he demanded.
United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs staged a protest at the main gate of Parliament early in the morning. Left party MPs, while not part of the UDF protest, held a separate demonstration.
The issue was raised immediately after the sessions commenced, causing a commotion and forcing adjournments.
The two arrested nuns, Sister Preethi Mary (the first accused) and Sister Vandana Francis (the second accused) of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), face charges under Section 4 of Chhattisgarh’s Prohibition of Forced Conversion Act and Section 143 of the BNS. They were arrested at the Durg Railway Station last Friday.
The FIR alleged that they attempted to forcibly convert minors and traffic humans.
AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said his party has written to the Union Home Minister and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on the issue of the illegal custody of the nuns.
“What happened was that the government there and the Bajrang Dal alleged that it was a case of trafficking and that the people were taking those women for conversion, but the truth is they were being taken for employment,” he said, adding the police did not listen to the people who said they were being taken with their parents’ consent.
“Atrocities against minorities are increasing day by day in BJP-ruled states. This is not an isolated case. In Odisha, MP, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, and other places, they are hounding Christian institutions and fathers and nuns. The government in Chhattisgarh has given freedoms to these hooligans to attack the minorities. This is against the Constitution, which provides for freedom of religion, but through such actions, the BJP governments are attacking these freedoms,” Venugopal added.
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian told reporters in New Delhi that BJP’s Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar was working closely with the Centre and Chhattisgarh governments for the early release of the nuns. Kurian did not speak in detail since the issue was sub judice.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that bail applications for the nuns will not be filed on Monday, as the legal team was still collecting key documents related to the case.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding justice for the unfairly arrested nuns. Opposition Leader in Kerala, VD Satheesan, termed the arrests arbitrary and fascist. He also visited the residence of Sister Mary near Angamaly.
Minister for Industries P Rajeeve, too, visited the home of the Malayali nun on Monday. Terming it as a case of “mob trial,” the minister said all legal options were being explored and that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has personally intervened in the matter.
Rajeeve assured the family of full government support and criticised the incident as a violation of religious freedom.
“This is not just a Christian issue but part of a disturbing pattern of attacks on minorities. It demands a united democratic response,” he said.
