SHILLONG, July 31: An association of Catholic Christians in Meghalaya’s Shillong has written to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, expressing concerns over the arrest of two nuns for allegedly being involved in human trafficking and religious conversion, and claiming that the charges against them were “baseless” and “falsely framed”.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at the Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh on July 25, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three women from the state’s tribal-majority Narayanpur district and trafficking them.
The Catholic Association of Shillong (CAS), Meghalaya, headed by former Congress MP Vincent H Pala, claimed that the arrested persons were “only accompanying three young women, all above 18 years of age, with the full consent of their parents, for job opportunities”.
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“Their work is in service to humanity, regardless of caste, creed or religion. We believe such actions help foster national growth and development,” the association said in the letter.
The organisation of the Catholic Christians alleged that the arrest was “instigated by members of the Bajrang Dal and motivated by communal bias rather than any credible evidence”.
Describing the incident as “a violation of constitutional rights”, the association urged the Chhattisgarh chief minister to intervene for the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested.
“The charges against them were baseless and falsely framed,” the association claimed.
It appealed to the authorities concerned for the protection of minority rights and safeguards against misuse of anti-conversion laws.
“This is an infringement on the right of minorities to practise their faith and engage in social work without fear of persecution,” the association stated.
It also said the nuns belong to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate and reiterated its condemnation of what it termed an “act of harassment”. (PTI)
