The CPI on Wednesday said that it would hold a massive protest on September 5, 2025, in Narayanpur, demanding an FIR against the aggressors of the Durg Railway attack on nuns and tribal girls, said a press statement.
The statement added that the party would hold a massive dharna and gherao of the Narayanpur Collectorate on Friday, where a memorandum will also be presented to the Governor of Chhattisgarh demanding immediate registration of FIRs against the culprits, protection and justice for the three girls, and an end to communal attacks on tribals and minorities.
The CPI, in its statement, alleged that the BJP government has completely failed to uphold constitutional rights. It added that it strongly condemned the continued communal attacks on minorities and tribals in Chhattisgarh.
The CPI noted the complete failure of the BJP government in upholding constitutional rights. More than three weeks after the shameful assault on two nuns from Kerala and three young tribal girls from Narayanpur at Durg Railway Station, not a single FIR has been registered against the aggressors from the VHP and Bajrang Dal, the CPI claimed.
Instead, the victims continue to face harassment, humiliation, and intimidation, as was evident when members of the Chhattisgarh State Women Commission questioned them about their religion instead of addressing their pain, the party alleged. This exposes the deep communal bias of the administration and its collusion with the Sangh Parivar outfits, the CPI further alleged.
On July 25, 2025, two Catholic nuns from Kerala—Sister Preeti (or Preethi), Mary (around 45–55 years old) and Sister Vandana Francis (around 50–53)—along with Sukaman Mandavi, a local youth, were arrested at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. They were accused of trafficking and forced religious conversion of three adult tribal women from Narayanpur district, allegedly lured under the pretext of nursing jobs in Agra.
The trio were charged under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (related to trafficking) and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968 (related to forced religious conversion). Initially, the three women were perceived as victims. However, one of them later claimed that she had traveled voluntarily, with parental consent, and that she had been coerced into giving statements against the nuns under pressure from Vajrang Dal activists and police.