Nuns arrest in Chhattisgarh: Kerala CM Vijayan seeks PM Modi's intervention

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in ensuring justice to Catholic nuns from the state who were arrested in Chhattisgarh.

According to media reports, the Kerala-based nuns were arrested at a railway station in Chhattisgarh recently on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by right-wing activists.

Vijayan sent a letter to the PM seeking his direct intervention in the matter, a CMO statement said here.

In the letter, the CM pointed out that Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethi were recently taken into custody by the police from Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh.

The nuns were taken into custody when they went to pick those who came for job in their convent, he said.

The CM also pointed out that relatives of the nuns have complained that they had not been able to communicate with them after they were taken into custody.

Vijayan requested PM Modi to intervene in the issue directly and ensure transparent and fair proceedings in the matter, the CMO statement added.

Earlier in the day, the Congress in Kerala vehemently criticised the BJP and the Sangh Parivar over the reported arrest of two Catholic nuns from the state by police in Chhattisgarh.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan cited it as the latest example of attack against minorities in the BJP-ruled states.

In a post on 'X', Venugopal said attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled states, be it Chhattisgarh, Odisha or Madhya Pradesh.

"The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on two Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment," he alleged.

Venugopal said he has written to the Union Home Minister and Chhattisgarh CM demanding strict punishment against these culprits and the urgent need to uphold the Constitution so that fundamental rights of minorities are not threatened under their rule.

Echoing similar sentiments, Satheesan said witch-hunt in the name of religion or caste is unacceptable.

In a Facebook post, he alleged that the Kerala nuns became victims of a brutal police witch-hunt.

A "mob trial" was held against the nuns and a false case was filed against them, he alleged.

"The rights guaranteed by the Constitution are for everyone. It is not the generosity of the BJP or the RSS. The nuns arrested in a false case in Chhattisgarh should be released immediately," Satheesan said.

Alleging that the Sangh Parivar are "wolves in sheep's clothing", the Congress leader said that they would come to the churches and Christian homes in Kerala with cakes. "In other places, they will disrupt all the celebrations of Christians. They will attack them brutally. The latest example of this was seen in Chhattisgarh," he alleged.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that necessary interventions were made into the matter as soon as it came to his notice.

In a Facebook post, he said he had already requested the state authorities in Chhattisgarh to carry out a comprehensive probe into the issue and take necessary steps to protect the innocent people and punish the culprits.

Stating that the real facts should come out in the issue, Chandrasekhar said he got assurance from the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister that no innocent people would be punished in this regard.

The Centre has also intervened in the matter with the utmost seriousness and assured all possible legal protection to the innocent persons in connection with the issue, the BJP state chief added.