Chhattisgarh: Nuns insulted and detained on false charges of human trafficking

Two nuns from the Green Garden Sisters of Agra were targeted at the Durg railway station by a group of Hindu nationalists while accompanying three Christian girls to work in a hospital run by their order, with the written consent of their parents. Cardinal Gracias: “India respects the law, but these attacks tarnish the image of the nation.”

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - On July 25, in Durg, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, two Catholic nuns and a young man accompanying three girls were harassed by far-right groups, who falsely accused them of attempted religious conversion and human trafficking.

At around 8:30 a.m., at the Durg railway station, two Catholic nuns belonging to the Green Garden Sisters of Agra were traveling with two tribal girls from the Narayanpur district, in the diocese of Jagadalpur, bound for Agra.

The three girls, aged between 19 and 22, had traveled to Durg with their parents' consent to work in a hospital run by Catholic nuns. However, they were stopped at the station by a train conductor for not having a ticket to access the platform. During the check, the girls stated that they were going to work with the nuns.

The inspector then informed local members of the Bajrang Dal, who rushed to the scene and began accusing the nuns of attempted religious conversion. The far-right groups began chanting slogans and demanding the immediate intervention of the Chhattisgarh government.

The girls' parents had previously provided written consent and copies of their identity cards, explicitly authorizing their daughters to work with the nuns. Although the young women stated that they were already Christian, the nuns and girls were nevertheless forced to get off the train and taken by the police to the barracks for questioning. Currently, the three young women are under the protection of the Women's Welfare Committee in Durg.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop Emeritus of Mumbai, commented to AsiaNews: "I am sorry that incidents of this kind are on the rise. Our mission is misunderstood. I am close to the nuns and I am sure they were not doing anything illegal. They should not be harassed. There are proper ways of questioning and investigating: it is not right that they are being persecuted in this way. This seriously damages the image of our country. India is a nation that respects the law, but such incidents cast us in a bad light.“

Before leading the Archdiocese of Mumbai, Gracias was archbishop of Agra: ”I know this order of sisters,“ he added, ”and I know that they do commendable service for society. I am certain of their good intentions. We do not know what was communicated, but it is serious: it was an attack on women, our religious sisters were insulted, harassed, and disrespected. This is not how women should be treated. Such incidents tarnish the image of the nation."

Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, told AsiaNews: “These are completely unfounded and false accusations against our Christian sisters.” Amid loud chants of “Jai Shri Ram,” the police were unable to even record the sisters' statements.

The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum mobilized the Christian community, and a large group of faithful arrived at the station singing “Alleluia” in response. Initially, clashes broke out as police tried to take the nuns away by force, but thanks to strong opposition from Christians, the police finally escorted the nuns to the police station.