M’laya CM urges Chhattisgarh CM to revoke cases against nuns

Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) national president, Conrad Sangma on Friday wrote to his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai, seeking his intervention to revoke the case lodged against the two Catholic nuns — Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis — from Kerala.
The two nuns were detained by the Chhattisgarh police at Durg Railway Station under allegedly false charges and pressure from right-wing groups, he said.
“The situation arose when the nuns were accompanying three girls from Chhattisgarh to Agra. A Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) questioned the girls, who stated they didn’t have tickets and were traveling at the nuns’ request,” Sangma informed Sai. He said the TTE alerted local activists, who then alleged the nuns were attempting to take the girls for forced religious conversion.
“This claim sparked a protest, and the police detained the nuns and girls based on the activists’ complaint. We believe that this is a case of harassment and false allegations,” Sangma stated.
Seeking the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s intervention and to ensure a fair investigation into the matter, the Meghalaya Chief Minister also sought Sai’s cooperation and support to safeguard the rights of religious minorities in Chhattisgarh and to consider revoking the case lodged against the nuns.
Sangma also informed Sai that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in this matter.
“We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a resolution that upholds the principles of justice and religious freedom,” Sangma concluded in his letter.