Raipur, Jul 28 (PTI) It is unfortunate that the issue of safety of women and girls is being politicised, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Monday in connection with the arrest of three persons, including two nuns from Kerala, for alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis as well as a third person identified as Sukaman Mandavi were arrested from Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint from a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them, a railway police official had said on Sunday.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Sai said, “Three daughters of Narayanpur were promised nursing training followed by jobs. A person from Narayanpur handed them over to two nuns at Durg station, who were taking the daughters to Agra. An attempt was being made to convert them by human trafficking by luring them.” “This is a serious matter related to the safety of women. The investigation is still ongoing in this matter. The case is sub-judice and the law will take its own course. Chhattisgarh is a peace-loving state where people of all religions and communities live in harmony. It is very unfortunate to politicise the issue related to the safety of our daughters of Bastar,” he asserted.
The arrest of the two nuns has evoked strong reactions in their native Kerala, with the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF) slamming the BJP.
The incident showed that minorities are not safe in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, claimed the LDF and UDF in the southern state.
Kerala Ministers P Rajeev and Roshy Augustine as well as a delegation led by Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan and UDF MLAs visited the family of nun Preethi.
The arrest of two nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh’s Durg is a “blatant misuse of law”, CPI(M) MP John Brittas said on Monday and demanded that they be set free.
In a post on X, Brittas also shared a letter written by him to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, expressing deep concerns and seeking his immediate intervention in the matter.
The BJP’s Kerala unit said a delegation would soon visit Chhattisgarh. PTI TKP BNM
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