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Durg, Chhattisgarh<\/strong> \u2013 A Chhattisgarh court has reportedly rejected the bail application of two Malayali nuns, Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, arrested on charges of alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The nuns will remain in Durg Central Jail, with their legal team indicating they will file an appeal in a higher court tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These charges carry significant penalties, including potential imprisonment of up to 10 years. However, reports from various sources, including The Hindu and The News Minute, indicate that the parents of the tribal women had provided written consent for their travel. Family members of the tribal women have also publicly stated that the women were going voluntarily for jobs and denied any allegations of forced conversion or trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Durg, Chhattisgarh \u2013 A Chhattisgarh court has reportedly rejected the bail application of two Malayali nuns, Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, arrested on charges of alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The nuns will remain in Durg Central Jail, with their legal team indicating they will file an appeal in a higher court tomorrow….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chhattisgarh"],"yoast_head":"\n
Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, belonging to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) congregation, were apprehended on July 26 at Durg Railway Station. They were reportedly accompanying three tribal women from Narayanpur who were traveling to Agra for employment at a church-run hospital. The incident escalated after a ticket examiner questioned the group, leading to the involvement of local Bajrang Dal activists who subsequently lodged a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrests have drawn sharp criticism and widespread protests from Christian organizations across India, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). These bodies have characterized the arrests as an infringement on the fundamental rights of religious minorities and have called on the central government to intervene. Concerns have been voiced regarding what they perceive as an increasing trend of alleged attacks and false accusations against nuns assisting young women who seek religious life or employment in church-affiliated institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police have invoked provisions of the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to charge the nuns with human trafficking (Section 143 BNS) and also under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, which pertains to forced religious conversion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bail application’s rejection reportedly stemmed from complications, including a delay in submitting specific documents required for the bail process from the families of the women involved. The Raipur Diocese, according to The News Minute, was reportedly denied permission to meet the nuns and had faced difficulties in filing the bail application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This incident has also taken on a distinct political dimension, particularly in Kerala, where there is considerable outrage over the arrests of Malayali nuns in a BJP-governed state. Political leaders and parties across the spectrum in Kerala have condemned the action, with some, like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging “BJP-RSS mob rule” and systematic persecution of minorities. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, however, has defended the arrests, stating that it is a “serious matter related to women’s safety” and that the law will take its course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the nuns remain in judicial custody in Durg Central Jail, their legal team is now preparing to appeal the lower court’s decision in a higher court, likely the Chhattisgarh High Court, to seek their release. The case continues to highlight ongoing legal and social complexities surrounding issues of religious freedom, alleged conversions, and the implementation of new laws in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"