Kochi: A wave of protest gatherings and solidarity rallies are being organized across Kerala today in response to the controversial arrest of two Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh on allegations of human trafficking and religious conversion. Outrage has been mounting among Christian communities and civil society groups, who view the arrests as part of a targeted campaign against minorities.
In Palakkad, the Diocese of Palakkad has announced a joint protest rally involving various church-affiliated organizations. The protest is scheduled to be held at 5:00 PM at St. Raphael Cathedral Square, drawing participation from clergy, religious congregations, youth groups, and lay faithful. The rally will publicly denounce what organizers have termed an unjust arrest and an affront to religious freedom and the dignity of women religious.
Meanwhile, the KCYM Mananthavady Diocese, in collaboration with the Cherupushpa Mission League and the All Kerala Catholic Congress (AKCC), is organizing a separate protest rally at 6:30 PM in Dwarka, 4th Mile. The program aims to express firm solidarity with Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary, and to voice collective resistance against the spread of misinformation and communal targeting.
In Thiruvalla, members of the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement (MCYM) and Malankara Catholic Association (MCA) under the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church will hold a protest gathering at 5:00 PM at the KSRTC Bus Terminal. The event, dubbed the "MCYM-MCA Protest Group 2025," will highlight concerns over rising religious intolerance and misuse of law enforcement to intimidate minority communities.
These coordinated actions come in the wake of widespread condemnation from Church leaders, opposition politicians, and civil rights activists who have called for the immediate release of the nuns and an impartial inquiry into the incident. Organizers of the protests have urged the public to come out in large numbers, asserting that silence in the face of injustice is complicity.