Two Catholic nuns were detained by Government Railway Police at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh on 25 July following accusations of forced conversion and human trafficking made by Hindu nationalist activists.
Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Green Garden Sisters of Agra were accompanying three girls aged 19-22 and a young man from Narayanpur when they were stopped by railway authorities at approximately 8:30am. The group was travelling to Agra in Uttar Pradesh, where the girls were to work at a hospital managed by Catholic sisters.
The incident began when a train conductor questioned the group for not having platform tickets. During questioning, the girls stated they were going to work with the nuns. The conductor then contacted local members of Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, who rushed to the scene and accused the nuns of attempting to convert the girls.
Despite the girls stating they were already Christians and parents having provided written consent along with identity card copies approving their daughters’ employment, Bajrang Dal members alleged forced conversion and human trafficking. The activists began chanting slogans and demanded immediate government intervention, forcing all passengers to leave the train.
Police took the group to the station for questioning amid loud chants of “Jai Shri Ram.” The three young women remain under the care of the Women Welfare Committee in Durg, while the nuns and young man remain in custody.
The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum mobilised the Christian community, with a large group of faithful arriving at the station singing “Alleluia” in response. Initial clashes broke out as police attempted to take the nuns away by force, but following strong opposition from Christians, police eventually escorted the nuns to the station.
Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, told Christian Today: “This shameful attack on innocent nuns exposes the growing intolerance against Christians in our state. When religious women cannot travel safely to serve the poor and sick, it shows how far we have fallen from our constitutional values of religious freedom.”
He said police were unable to record the sisters’ statements due to the loud chanting and described the accusations as “completely unfounded and false.”
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop Emeritus of Mumbai and former Archbishop of Agra, condemned the incident. “I am sorry that incidents of this kind are on the rise,” he told media. “Our mission is misunderstood. I am close to the nuns and I am sure they were not doing anything illegal.”
The cardinal described the incident as “an attack on women” where religious sisters were “insulted, harassed, and disrespected.” He added: “India is a nation that respects the law, but such incidents cast us in a bad light.”
Chhattisgarh, with approximately 30 million people, is over 93 percent Hindu with less than 2 percent Christian. The state is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which maintains strong links to Hindu nationalist organisations.
Religious minorities have reported increased harassment since the party’s rise to power, with Christians across India facing detention for alleged conversion activities and vandalism of places of worship.
