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‘Mob rule going on’: What Shashi Tharoor said on arrest of Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh
Two nuns and a third person were arrested at Durg station on July 25 after a Bajrang Dal member accused them of trafficking and forced conversion.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday questioned the arrest of two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh on charges of trafficking and religious conversion, alleging that innocent people were being jailed while the real culprits were being let off.
“It seems to me that mob rule is going on, where innocent people are being thrown in jail for no fault of theirs. They should be released without any delay, and they (government) should arrest the goons and not the nuns,” he said.
Two nuns, Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with a third person, Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested from Durg railway station on July 25 after a local Bajrang Dal functionary filed a complaint accusing them of trafficking and forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur.
Amid widespread protests in Kerala by both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF over the arrest of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that they were jailed because of their faith and said it reflected “a dangerous pattern” of minority persecution under BJP rule.
“Two Catholic nuns jailed in Chhattisgarh after being targeted for their faith – this isn't justice, it's BJP-RSS mob rule. It reflects a dangerous pattern: systematic persecution of minorities under this regime,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
He further demanded their immediate release and accountability for what he called an injustice. “UDF MPs protested in Parliament today. We will not be silent. Religious freedom is a constitutional right. We demand their immediate release and accountability for this injustice,” said the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Responding to the allegations, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai backed the police action and said the matter involved the safety of women.
“Three daughters of Narayanpur were promised nursing training followed by jobs. A person from Narayanpur handed them over to two nuns at Durg station, who were taking the daughters to Agra. An attempt was being made to convert them by human trafficking by luring them,” Sai said in a post on X.
“This is a serious matter related to the safety of women. The investigation is still ongoing in this matter. The case is sub-judice, and the law will take its own course. Chhattisgarh is a peace-loving state where people of all religions and communities live in harmony. It is very unfortunate to politicise the issue related to the safety of our daughters of Bastar,” he added.
