Several MPs of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), an alliance of left-wing political parties, have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his “immediate and earnest attention” to the case involving two Catholic nuns from Kerala, who were arrested for allegedly trying to convert three Bastar girls to Christianity.
“We, the undersigned Members of Parliament representing the Left Democratic Front, seek your immediate and earnest attention to a matter of grave injustice, communal intimidation, and systemic failure that has deeply wounded the conscience of the nation and shaken faith in the sanctity and enforceability of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution,” the first paragraph of the letter reads.
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The recent arrest and continued incarceration of the two Catholic nuns from Kerala , Sr Vandhana Francis and Sr Preethi Mary – in Durg, Chhattisgarh, is not an isolated incident, it said, adding that the incident reflects the increasingly hostile climate faced by minority communities and those working selflessly among the most marginalized.
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All available reports indicate that the arrest was based on unsubstantiated and concocted allegations, seemingly made under pressure from a right-wing group that filed a false complaint alleging human trafficking and forced religious conversion, the LDF MPs said in the letter.
On 30th July, the Sessions Court at Durg declined to hear their plea, citing the issue of jurisdiction, and said that the matter be placed before the Special NIA Court.
Thus, the nuns, despite having no criminal background, not being apprehended in the act of any crime, and with no substantive evidence against them, continue to languish in custody due to procedural limbo and a disturbingly opaque invocation of harsh laws, the LDF MPs told the Union Home Minister.
“The accusations, lacking in both substance and corroboration, appear to be nothing more than a pretext to harass the nuns, criminalize their humanitarian work, and vilify religious minorities,” the letter added.
Such detention is not merely contrary to the spirit of the law – it stands in outright defiance to the foundational principles they are built upon. This arrest has caused widespread outrage in Kerala and across the country, the letter further said.
“We, therefore, most humbly urge your good self’s personal and immediate intervention in this matter.
The continued incarceration of the two nuns, despite the absence of any credible evidence or just cause, must be brought to an end,” they said to the minister.
The nuns were arrested at Durg railway station on 25 July after a local Bajrang Dal activist alleged they were attempting to convert the girls to Christianity.
The arrested have been charged with human trafficking under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and forced religious conversion under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act.
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