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A video of Bajrang Dal member Jyoti Sharma threatening two Catholic nuns from Kerala inside a Chhattisgarh police station has gone viral, drawing widespread condemnation from political leaders and Catholic clergy.
The nuns, Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), were arrested by Chhattisgarh Police at Durg Railway Station on July 26 along with a young man, Sukhman Mandavi. They had been accompanying three women from Narayanpur district to Agra.
In the video, Jyoti is seen yelling at the man, “Do you understand? Will you speak? Or should I hit you?” She then turns to the nuns and threatens, “If you don't want to speak, I will smash your face, I’m warning you.”
Jyoti accuses the nuns of being part of a human trafficking and religious conversion racket, claiming that their bag contained “a Bible, a photo, a passbook, an ATM card, and a diary with pastors’ numbers.” She tells the crowd who had gathered in support of the nuns, “These numbers prove this is a racket. If they don’t have a racket, why would so many people gather for two nuns who are not from here? I am from a Hindu organisation. I have come to save my daughter. Who have they come to save?”
The Raipur Diocese has since clarified that the women accompanying the nuns, all aged between 18 and 19, were travelling to convents for domestic work with parental consent. They had been offered jobs as kitchen helpers, with monthly salaries ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.
Despite the women being adults and reportedly travelling with their consent, the police arrested the nuns and charged them under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for trafficking, and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968. If convicted, the charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. The three remain in judicial custody at Central Jail, Durg.
Reverend Andrews Thazhath, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), criticised the arrests and condemned the actions of Bajrang Dal members. “This has happened in a country where freedom of religion is allowed. The nuns were attacked by the Bajrang Dal activists and none should forget that nuns always stand and work for the uplift of the downtrodden,” he said. Thazhath thanked Members of Parliament (MPs) from Kerala for raising the matter in Parliament, though a motion to debate it was disallowed.
Family members of the arrested nuns expressed distress, stating they were only trying to help marginalised women find employment. “This should not be seen as a one-off incident, as we have been told that things do not augur well now in certain places in north India,” said relatives.
The CPI(M) condemned the arrests and the role of police and railway officials, calling the incident a violation of constitutional rights. “There is every right not just to practice religion but also to propagate it. Grave charges have been slapped on the arrested, this is in no way acceptable,” the party said in a statement.
Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, VD Satheesan, echoed concerns about rising attacks on Christian clergy and religious workers in parts of North India. “It has come to a stage when Christian priests and nuns cannot even wear their official dress for fear of being attacked. This has to end quickly,” he said.
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian, declined to comment on the incident, stating the matter was sub judice. Kerala BJP vice-president Shone George said, “Let the court take the call and if the nuns are innocent, we have made all arrangements to ensure they are safely taken back to their respective places.”
In a separate statement to the Asianet News, Jyoti Sharma justified her actions saying, “I don’t hit everyone. I just hit people who convert Hindu girls to Christianity. I have confirmed that those women are Hindu. It’s the duty of Hindu organisations as well as the police to protect them.”
(With inputs from IANS)