Shakespeare’s Hamlet, written between 1599 and 1601, is a timeless tragedy, renowned as one of the most powerful works in English literature. Among its enduring lines is Marcellus’ chilling observation in Act I, Scene IV: “Something is rotten in the State of Denmark.” This phrase, spoken by a guard, exposes deep corruption and moral decay within the kingdom, hinting at intrigue, manipulation, and murder. Today, this evocative phrase resonates with disturbing events unfolding in India, where something is indeed terribly wrong—rotten to the core.
On the night of July 25/26, 2025, Sukhman Mandavi, an Adivasi from Narayanpur, accompanied three young Adivasi women—Sukhmati Mandavi (his sister), Lalita Usendi, and Kamaleswari Pradhan, all aged 18–20—to Durg Railway Station. The group was en route to Agra for employment at a hospital linked to a convent. At the station, the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) demanded their tickets, which were held by two nuns, Sr. Preeti Mary and Sr. Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), already on the platform. Without verifying the tickets, the TTE allegedly summoned a local Bajrang Dal mob, who arrived swiftly, shouting and creating chaos.
Who authorized the TTE to call these vigilantes? What gave them the right to harass and intimidate Indian citizens with valid tickets?
False Accusations and Unlawful Detention
The mob accused the group of various crimes, escalating the situation. The travelers were taken to the police station, where the nuns and Sukhman were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The three women were sent to a government-run shelter home. They faced charges under Section 143 (human trafficking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Section 4 (unlawful religious conversion) of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968. Notably, the initial FIR cited only Section 143, with conversion charges added later—despite all three women being Christian, rendering conversion allegations baseless.
Why were these false charges filed, violating the group’s constitutional rights? On what grounds were the FIR and charge sheet prepared? Can adults not travel freely in India?
Vigilante Violence and Police Complicity
At the police station, Jyoti Sharma, a Bajrang Dal activist, verbally and physically assaulted the detainees in full view of passive police officers. Viral videos capture her threatening Sukhman, yelling, “Do you understand? Will you speak, or should I hit you?” She accused the nuns of human trafficking and conversion, citing items like a Bible and a diary with pastors’ numbers as evidence of a “racket.” Sharma even claimed the women were Hindu, based solely on their names, declaring it her duty to “save” them.
Who permitted this vigilante to take the law into her own hands? Why did the police remain silent, failing to intervene or arrest her? Why has she not been held accountable?
Judicial Proceedings and Lingering Questions
The case was transferred to an NIA Court in Bilaspur, which granted bail to the accused on August 2, 2025. The court noted no need for further custodial interrogation and found no evidence justifying continued detention. The bail order, requiring bonds of Rs. 50,000 each, explicitly stated it did not reflect on the case’s merits. Yet, why was an NIA Court, meant for cases threatening India’s sovereignty, handling this matter? Why were the charges not immediately quashed?
Political Interference and Contradictions
Reports suggest a group of Kerala parliamentarians met Home Minister Amit Shah on July 31, 2025, who allegedly assured the nuns’ innocence and promised their release. If true, this raises serious questions: How did the Home Minister know they were innocent? Were they arrested as part of a hidden agenda? Why have the charges not been dropped, and why are those responsible for their wrongful arrest not prosecuted?
Similarly, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar called the arrests a “misunderstanding” after meeting Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, claiming the Prime Minister and Home Minister ensured the nuns’ bail. If it was merely a misunderstanding, why do the cases persist? Why must the accused endure prolonged legal battle to prove their innocence?
Selective Outrage and a Silent Church
The arrests sparked national outrage, with protests from civil society, opposition MPs, and parts of the Church, including Kerala’s Deepika newspaper and the CSI and Orthodox Churches. Yet, many question the Church’s selective activism. Why does it remain silent when Adivasis are killed or displaced in Chhattisgarh, or when human rights defenders and pastors languish in jail? As India’s Constitution is eroded, minorities are targeted, and the marginalized are denied rights, where is the Church’s voice? Jesus stood for all, not just a select few. Why does the Church not protest the broader injustices plaguing the nation?
A Dangerous Game with the BJP
Aligning with the BJP and its affiliates is fraught with peril. The Sangh Parivar is known for leveraging scandals to silence opposition, often absorbing critics into their fold through coercion. The BJP’s involvement in securing the bail, reportedly driven by the Prime Minister’s Office, appears strategic. Chandrasekhar’s presence during the release, followed by celebratory photos with Church leaders, raises eyebrows. His claim that the BJP stands by all Malayalis “regardless of religion” rings hollow, especially given the party’s silence on divisive narratives like The Kerala Story.
What is there to celebrate when the case is fabricated, the real perpetrators remain free, and a long legal battle looms? This appears to be a calculated move to bolster the BJP’s Christian outreach in Kerala, manipulating a crisis for political gain.
A Nation in Decay
The BJP’s actions are systematically undermining India’s secular fabric and democratic ethos. From mob attacks on priests and nuns in Odisha to the cancellation of a memorial lecture for Fr. Stan Swamy in Mumbai, fascist forces are polarizing the nation. Constitutional bodies are compromised, electoral processes sabotaged, and fundamental rights—freedom of religion, speech, and dissent—are under siege. While crony capitalists thrive, the poor bear the brunt of these injustices.
As India approaches another Independence Day, the words of Rabindranath Tagore resonate:
“Freedom from fear is the freedom
I claim for you my motherland!
Freedom from the burden of the ages, bending your head,
breaking your back, blinding your eyes to the beckoning
call of the future…”
The rot must stop now. India’s people must awaken, overcome fear, and act to reclaim the nation’s soul, echoing Tagore’s call: “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father (and Mother), let my country awake!”
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*Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation, and peace activist/writer
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