Kochi: The Syro-Malabar Church has strongly denounced the recent mob attack and police action against two Keralite nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, calling it a serious affront to the rule of law and constitutional values in India. The nuns Sister Vandana and Sister Preeti, belonging to the Green Gardens Sannyasa Congregation were taken into custody based on false accusations of religious conversion and human trafficking.
The incident unfolded when the sisters arrived at Durg Railway Station along with a group of young women who were being taken to Fatima Hospital in Agra for employment. Despite carrying all necessary documents and parental consent letters, they were surrounded by a mob allegedly linked to the Bajrang Dal, who then handed them over to the police without any legal basis.
The Green Gardens community, which has earned national recognition for its work in leprosy eradication, palliative care, and upliftment of the marginalised, has now found itself at the center of a politically and communally charged controversy. According to the Syro-Malabar Church, the arrests are part of a larger pattern of harassment aimed at Christian religious personnel across India.
“The fact that nuns who have committed their lives to social service are being criminalised without any evidence highlights the erosion of our legal and moral order,” said a statement from the Church. “It is an alarming sign that groups operating under the banner of nationalism are able to override due process and manipulate law enforcement.”
The Church further warned that the climate of fear is now so intense that nuns fear traveling in their religious attire, lest they become targets of violence or wrongful detention. “To intimidate those who wear symbols of their faith is to undermine democratic freedoms and constitutional guarantees, including the right to life, liberty, and religion.”
Calling it a national disgrace, the Church appealed to both the central and state governments to take swift and decisive action. It demanded the immediate release of the nuns and withdrawal of fabricated charges, and called for strong legal measures against those inciting communal hatred and vigilante attacks.
As hate crimes against Christian minorities and clergy continue to rise, the Syro-Malabar Church emphasized that protecting the dignity, rights, and freedom of religious communities must remain non-negotiable in a secular, democratic India.