Why Chhattisgarh Police arrested two Kerala nuns from Durg railway station
The arrest of two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh on July 26th has escalated into a major political controversy, raising concerns about religious freedom and due process. Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), were apprehended at Durg Railway Station along with three other women and a man, Suchman Mandavi, a resident of Narayanpur.
The arrest stemmed from an incident where a railway ticket examiner questioned the women's travel documents. The woman's explanation, involving the nuns, raised suspicions, leading the ticket examiner to inform the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organisation.
Subsequent protests by Bajrang Dal members resulted in the police detaining all six individuals. Chhattisgarh Police charged the nuns with human trafficking under Section 143 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 (BNS) and religious conversion under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968. A report by TNN suggested the women were allegedly being offered jobs as kitchen helpers. The two nuns and Suchman Mandavi were remanded to judicial custody until August 8th.