AICU condemns arrest of Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh, demands immediate release

By A Representative

The All India Catholic Union (AICU) has strongly condemned the arrest of two Catholic nuns and their tribal aide in Chhattisgarh, calling it a grave assault on religious freedom and a reflection of growing anti-Christian violence in India. In a statement released on August 1, 2025, the AICU demanded the unconditional release of Sister Preetha Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), along with their aide Sukhman Mandavi, who were detained on July 25 at Durg Railway Station.

The three were accused of human trafficking and forced religious conversion while accompanying three young Christian women traveling to Agra for employment opportunities. According to the AICU, the women, all adults, had written consent letters from their families and confirmed they were Christians traveling of their own volition. Despite this, the nuns were allegedly attacked by a woman affiliated with the Sangh Parivar inside the railway police station, with police personnel failing to intervene.

The AICU condemned the involvement of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), typically tasked with terrorism cases, in a matter it described as based on baseless allegations. A sessions court in Durg transferred the case to the NIA on July 30, prolonging the detention of the nuns. The refusal of bail and swift escalation to the NIA court, the AICU said, underscored the politicization of the legal process and the complicity of state authorities.

The arrest has sparked protests across India, especially in Kerala, the home state of the nuns. Members of both ruling and opposition parties in Kerala demonstrated outside Parliament, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called the arrests a blatant display of the Sangh Parivar’s agenda and sought immediate action.

The AICU linked the incident to a broader trend of escalating violence against Christians, particularly in BJP-ruled states. Citing data from the United Christian Forum, the union noted a sharp increase in attacks against Christians—from 127 incidents in 2014 to 834 in the past decade. In 2025 alone, cases of church vandalism, clergy harassment, and disrupted religious services have continued unabated. The AICU criticized the misuse of laws like the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act to harass minorities and drew attention to past acts of violence, including the 1999 murder of missionary Graham Staines and his sons.

Calling for justice, the AICU demanded the immediate release of the detained nuns, an independent investigation into the role of Bajrang Dal members and police complicity, repeal of anti-conversion laws, and concrete government action to protect minorities and curb religious violence.

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