Religious conversion case: Suresh Gopi visits nun's family in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Union minister of state for petroleum Suresh Gopi on Wednesday called on the family of one of the Malayali nuns who was held in Chhattisgarh recently on charges of religious conversion attempts.

The visit of Gopi assumed significance as he was being widely criticised for maintaining silence on the arrest of nuns in the BJP-ruled state as well as attack by Bajrang Dal activists on them. Apart from opposition parties, many church leaders also flayed his silence, especially citing the support of the Christian community that he had received while contesting the polls.

Even as Gopi remained tight-lipped after visiting the parents and brother of nun Preethi Mary at Angamaly on the suburbs of Kochi, the nun's brother later told reporters that the Union minister told them that he had also intervened for securing bail for the two nuns.

When the family requested help to quash the case registered against the nuns, the Union minister said that the matter was pending before court.