Kerala Nuns Arrested In Chhattisgarh: Everything You Need To Know
On Friday, July 25, 2025, two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preeti Mary, belonging to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) congregation under the Syro-Malabar Church, were arrested at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. Accompanying them was Sukhman Mandavi, a 19-year-old tribal youth from Narayanpur.
The nuns were escorting three young women from Narayanpur to Agra, where they were to work as kitchen helpers in a convent-run hospital. However, activists from the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu right-wing group, intercepted them at the station.
Accusations were levelled against the nuns of forced religious conversion and human trafficking. The police, acting on a complaint by local Bajrang Dal functionary Ravi Nigam, arrested the group and filed an FIR.
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The arrested were booked under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for human trafficking. Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, for alleged forced conversion. These charges carry penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹2 lakh.
Bail Plea Rejected on Jurisdiction Grounds
On Wednesday, July 30, a sessions court in Durg rejected the nuns’ bail plea, stating it lacked jurisdiction due to the human trafficking charge falling under the NIA (National Investigation Agency) Act. The court directed the petitioners to approach the NIA-designated bench at the Chhattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur instead.
As the bail plea was being heard, Bajrang Dal activists gathered outside the sessions court, chanting intimidating slogans and celebrating after the court dismissed the plea. The situation created a hostile environment for the accused and their legal team.
A.A. Rahim, Rajya Sabha MP and national president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), was in Chhattisgarh as part of an LDF delegation. He met the nuns at the Durg Central Prison on Wednesday (July 30) and strongly condemned the arrest.
Rahim stated: “The police allowed Bajrang Dal activists to conduct a public trial at the station and later at the police station. They beat the tribal youth and harassed the nuns and the women travelling with them.
These charges are fake and politically motivated.” He also revealed that the court was likely to refer the case to the NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur, Bastar. Left MPs, including him, staged a protest outside Parliament over the arrest of Kerala nuns.
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A.A. Rahim said the protests will continue inside and outside the House until justice is delivered. “We will not allow the BJP to trample on constitutional values with mob-driven politics,” he added.
The LDF delegation, after visiting the Durg central prison, reported that the ailing nuns would be shifted to a district hospital following assurances from prison authorities.
The arrest sparked massive bipartisan protests across Kerala, uniting both the ruling LDF and opposition UDF. Key events include:
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On Wednesday (July 30), Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), led a silent protest march to Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Protesters gagged their mouths with black cloth, symbolising the silencing of Christian voices in India.
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Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with MPs from Kerala like K.C. Venugopal and N.K. Premachandran staged a protest inside Parliament near Makar Dwar on the same day.
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In the Lok Sabha, K.C. Venugopal demanded immediate intervention by the Centre, alleging that the Chhattisgarh CM was validating a mob narrative. “The PM and Kerala BJP speak of love for Christians, but their actions reek of minority hatred,” he said.
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The Congress-led UDF MPs later met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking justice for the nuns and the withdrawal of the “fabricated” charges.
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Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, along with MPs K. Radhakrishnan and Jose K. Mani, visited the jailed nuns and demanded their unconditional release, calling the incident a clear case of minority persecution.
The Syro-Malabar Church, traditionally seen as having a measured relationship with the BJP, has now publicly condemned the arrest. “The nuns are the pride of secular India. Their services have uplifted the marginalised. Watching people celebrate their bail denial is deeply painful.” Cardinal Cleemis said.
(With Inputs from Agencies)
