Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) Amid a raging row in Kerala over the arrest of two nuns from the state in Chhattisgarh over allegations of human trafficking and forced conversion, a Congress-led UDF MP on Thursday claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that all possible steps would be taken to ensure their release.
All political parties in Kerala, including the BJP have thrown their weight behind the nuns, who have been detained in the saffron-party ruled Chhattisgarh.
UDF MP, N K Premachandran, told reporters in New Delhi after a delegation of MPs from Kerala met Shah over the issue, that the minister has assured them of all legal steps by the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government to ensure the release of the two nuns.
He also said that Shah’s remarks during the meeting indicated that he believed the nuns were innocent.
Premachandran said that it was “unfortunate” that a sessions court in Durg, Chhattisgarh shifted the nuns’ case to an NIA court which deals with terror-related matters.
“It was done without hearing any of the sides. There was actually no need to do that,” he said.
The MP said that Shah, during the meeting, also assured them that the Chhattisgarh government will move a plea in the NIA court to shift the case from there.
Amit Shah informed them that directions have been issued to the state government not to oppose the bail plea of the nuns, he added.
“Therefore, we are 99 per cent hopeful that the nuns will get bail today itself. The central government and the home minister have taken a favourable stand in the matter,” Premachandran added.
Later in the day, the Ernakulam-Angamaly Diocese held a protest march against the action faced by the two nuns and demanded justice for them.
Hundreds of priests and nuns marched through the Angamaly town area carrying placards and banners in Malayalam, English and Hindi, carrying messages like — ‘democracy is at threat, country is moving towards anarchy’, ‘end religious persecution’ and ‘justice for the nuns, faith is not a crime’.
Besides them, hundreds of believers too joined the protest march.
“We want justice for the nuns who have been arrested in Chhattisgarh,” several of the women believers told a TV channel.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis along with Sukaman Mandavi were arrested at Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them. PTI HMP HMP ADB
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