In a deeply alarming development, two Catholic nuns from Kerala Sister Vandana Francis of Thalassery and Sister Preethi Mary of Elavoor, Angamaly were falsely arrested and imprisoned in Durg, Chhattisgarh, under fabricated charges of religious conversion and human trafficking. This disturbing act highlights the dangerous rise of religious extremism in India and exposes the systemic targeting of Christian minorities under the guise of legal enforcement.
The two nuns, affiliated with the Green Garden Sisters (Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate – ASMI) of the Syro-Malabar Church, were traveling to Agra with three girls and a tribal boy young adults who had voluntarily agreed to work in a Catholic hospital with full parental consent. They were intercepted at Durg railway station after a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) noticed they didn’t have platform tickets. Instead of a routine inquiry, the Bajrang Dal was called in turning a simple procedural issue into a communal confrontation.
The Bajrang Dal activists accused the nuns of attempted conversion and human trafficking. Despite the presence of signed consent forms from the parents, police arrested the nuns without verifying facts, checking documents, or ensuring basic due process. The young women were placed under the custody of the Women Welfare Committee. This is not law enforcement it is state-sanctioned religious persecution.
This incident is not an exception. It fits into a larger and growing pattern of targeted harassment against Christians in India, especially in North Indian states like Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Churches are routinely vandalized, worship services disrupted, and missionaries attacked. Anti-conversion laws, often vaguely worded and arbitrarily enforced, are being weaponized by right-wing groups to intimidate, criminalize, and oppress Christian communities.
While Christians in Kerala are recognized for their contributions to healthcare, education, and social welfare, those same communities are vilified in the North, accused of "conversion" for engaging in the same charitable services.
The arrest has triggered a nationwide outcry. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), KCBC Vigilance Commission, the Syro-Malabar Church, and Christian youth organizations like KCYM and SMYM have condemned the arrests, calling for immediate justice. Political leaders and civil society have raised their voices, protesting the misuse of power and the erosion of religious freedom.
In a strongly worded statement, the KCBC Vigilance Commission stated that the act is "extremely painful and condemnable," calling it a dangerous abuse of anti-conversion laws. They demanded legal action against those who filed false complaints and urged the central government to protect constitutional rights and religious freedoms.
The Syro-Malabar Church also warned that this attack on innocent religious women reflects a dangerous collapse of the rule of law. “When those who serve the sick and marginalized are arrested and defamed, it’s not just an attack on faith, it’s an attack on India's moral fabric,” the Church declared.
What is more dangerous than the arrest is the silence of those in power. There has been no categorical condemnation from national leadership. This silence emboldens fringe groups and promotes a dangerous double standard. When one religious group is allowed to dominate with impunity while others are criminalized, India risks slipping into a theocracy masquerading as democracy.
The incident also raises questions about mob justice. How did a religious mob gain such decisive influence over local police? Why were basic legal procedures ignored? The answer lies in the growing culture of impunity surrounding communal vigilantism.
Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate their religion. Yet, in today's India, that right is being denied to Christians. Laws meant to curb coercive conversion are being misused to crush even legitimate expressions of faith and service.
The incident in Chhattisgarh is not about conversions. It is about creating fear. It is about sending a message that Christians cannot move, work, or serve without scrutiny, harassment, or arrest.
This is a defining moment. India must choose between silence and solidarity, between communal hatred and constitutional justice. The charges against the nuns must be dropped immediately, and they must be released unconditionally. Those responsible for filing false cases and orchestrating mob intimidation must be held accountable. Legal safeguards must be introduced to prevent such abuses from recurring.
The central government must break its silence. The Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Minority Affairs Ministry must act decisively not just to protect the Christian community but to uphold the secular democratic character of India.
This is not just about two nuns. It is about the soul of India. If the land of Mahatma Gandhi now allows the unjust imprisonment of women who dedicate their lives to charity and health care, we must ask: what remains of our values?
Let us not be a nation where prayer is a provocation, where service is suspect, and where silence is complicity. Let not fear, but freedom rule this land. Let not hatred, but harmony define our people.