Agartala/Shillong, Aug 2 – Following Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s appeal, Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma has urged Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai to ensure justice for two Catholic nuns arrested in Durg on July 25.
Nuns Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis from Kerala, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested at Durg railway station after a Bajrang Dal functionary accused them of “forced religious conversion” of three girls from Narayanpur and “trafficking”.
Pradyot, whose TMP is an ally of the BJP-led Tripura government, said he had met CM Sai in Parliament on Friday and followed up with a written appeal on Saturday. “We live in a society where groups cannot target people without evidence. The rule of law and Constitution must remain supreme,” he wrote on social media.
In his letter, he said there is reason to believe the case involves harassment and false accusations, citing BJP Kerala unit statements. He requested a thorough, impartial probe, stressing that Christian minority workers serving society should not face prejudice.
Earlier, CM Sangma had written to CM Sai expressing concern over the arrests and requesting the charges be reviewed and revoked. The nuns, affiliated with Fatima Hospital in Agra, have been charged under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968 (forced conversion) and Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (trafficking).
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for intervention.
Meanwhile, in Mizoram, Congress chief Lal Thanzara criticised the state leadership and MPs for staying silent, while Congress leaders nationwide have condemned the arrests as “arbitrary” and expressed solidarity with the nuns.
