CPM State Secretary MV Govindan strongly condemned the attack on Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh, calling it a violation of constitutional rights. The LDF will hold protest meetings on August 3rd and 4th.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called for a statewide protest on August 3 and 4 against the arrest of two Christian nuns in Chhattisgarh. CPIM State Secretary MV Govindan said that the violation was an attack on constitutional rights and that the police were mere bystanders when members of the Bajrang Dal harassed them. Earlier, CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam had called on all party units in Kerala to hold large-scale protests against the arrests.
The nuns identified as Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, affiliated with the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) church, were accompanying three women to Agra to place them in convents for domestic work. Sukhman Mandavi, who was accompanying them, was also arrested. They were detained by the Durg railway police and booked for human trafficking and religious conversion. Father Sebastian Poomattam, Vicar General of the Raipur Archdiocese, told The News Minute that a ticket examiner questioned the group and alerted Bajrang Dal members. “All the women were above 18 years of age,” he added.
'Chhattisgarh Govt Won't Oppose Bail Plea'
“This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader Sangh Parivar agenda being executed across the country. We’ve seen similar incidents in Maharashtra and Karnataka. At the same time, Sangh Parivar outfits are working closely with religious institutions in Kerala, attempting to influence votes. The BJP's actions don’t surprise us as they are clearly pushing a political agenda. What’s even more reprehensible is the Congress party's silence, especially in Chhattisgarh, where their leaders haven’t even raised a protest,” MV Govindan added.
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Meanwhile, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that the Chhattisgarh government has agreed not to oppose the bail applications for the two Kerala nuns who were arrested on the charges of forced religious conversion and human trafficking. "We hope that they get bail in the coming days because the state government has agreed not to oppose their bail," Chandrasekhar told ANI.
He added that some mistakes were by the nuns while uploading details on the digital portal, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have stated that justice will be given to the two nuns.
