The arrest of two Catholic nuns on allegations of human trafficking and religious conversion has sparked a fierce debate in India’s parliament
Newsroom (29/07/2025, Gaudium Press )The arrest of two Catholic nuns on allegations of human trafficking and religious conversion has sparked a fierce debate in India’s parliament, with opposition leaders demanding their immediate release and accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a campaign against religious minorities.
Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeti Mary, members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) under the Syro-Malabar Church, were detained on July 25 by Railway Police at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh, a BJP-ruled state. The nuns were at the station to receive three young women, aged 19 to 22, who were to work as domestic help in convents across the state. A mob, allegedly affiliated with the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal, confronted them, accusing the nuns of forcibly converting the women.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress party leader and head of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, condemned the arrests on July 28 as a manifestation of “BJP-RSS mob rule,” referring to the BJP and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “This is systematic persecution of minorities, a dangerous pattern targeting individuals for their faith,” Gandhi said, emphasizing that “religious freedom is a constitutional right.”
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai defended the arrests, calling the case a serious instance of “human trafficking under the guise of religious conversion” and insisting that the law would take its course. However, Father Josh Abraham, a priest-lawyer from the Raipur archdiocese, described the charges as “totally false and baseless.” He told UCA News that the police initially promised to release the nuns and a boy accompanying them but instead remanded them to 14 days in custody after filing charges of human trafficking and conversion.
The three women, members of the Church of South India, were taken to a shelter home. Abraham suggested that one of the women may have been coerced into claiming she was brought to Durg without consent, leading to the charges against the nuns. Bail applications for the nuns were filed on July 28, with hopes for their swift release.
The arrests have reverberated beyond Chhattisgarh, particularly in Kerala, the nuns’ home state. Parliamentarians from Kerala’s Congress-led United Democratic Front and the ruling Left Democratic Front staged protests in the parliament complex, brandishing placards reading “Stop attacks on minorities.” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed solidarity and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the nuns’ immediate release. Senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal called the arrests “politically motivated” in a letter to Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding action against those responsible.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) issued a statement on July 27, expressing “profound dismay” over the arrests, which it said were based on “false and baseless allegations.” The KCBC condemned the “weaponization of anti-conversion laws” by extremist groups, calling it a threat to the constitutional rights of religious minorities. “Catholic missionaries do not engage in forced conversions,” the statement asserted, highlighting their contributions to education, healthcare, and social welfare. The council demanded accountability for those behind the false accusations and called for measures to curb religious fanaticism.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) echoed these concerns, urging federal and state governments to ensure the nuns’ safety and release. “Such incidents create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the Christian community,” it stated. Federal Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian, a Kerala native, declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
BJP’s Kerala state president, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said he was working with federal and Chhattisgarh authorities, as well as the CBCI, to secure the nuns’ release.
Christians, who constitute 2.3% of India’s 1.4 billion population, have increasingly reported harassment under the BJP’s tenure, particularly in states with stringent anti-conversion laws. The KCBC appealed to Prime Minister Modi to intervene and end the targeting of Christians on false conversion charges, emphasizing the need to preserve India’s secular and inclusive identity.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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