Christians joined together at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, in India’s southern Karnataka state, on August 2 to protest the arrest of two nuns. csi
Thousands of Christians across India have taken to the streets following the arrest of two Catholic nuns accused of forced religious conversion and human trafficking. Christian leaders say the allegations are fabricated and part of a pattern of religious persecution by Hindu nationalist groups.
More than 2,500 people gathered at Freedom Park in the southern city of Bengaluru on August 2 to protest the arrest of Sr. Preeti Mary and Sr. Vandana Francis, both members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, in the central state of Chhattisgarh. Smaller protests also occurred in other states across the country.
Unsubstantiated accusations led to arrests, then a steep bail
The nuns, who are originally from the southern state of Kerala, were taken into custody on July 25 at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh after Ravi Nigam, a local functionary of the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal, filed a complaint accusing them and a local man, Sukhman Mandavi, of trafficking three tribal women from Narayanpur district and attempting to forcibly convert them.
Although the complainant was not related to the women and had no locus standi in the matter, the complaint led to their arrest on serious charges, including human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
The two nuns and Mandavi were granted conditional bail on August 2 by a court in Bilaspur. The judge noted in the bail order that the police complaint had been registered based “primarily on a mere apprehension and suspicion,” and that there was no evidence of prior criminal history. Yet, the court ordered them to surrender their passports and furnish a bond of ₹50,000 ($570) along with two sureties.
The supposed victims say the accusers coerced their false testimony
The three women had voluntarily accompanied the nuns and were followers of Christianity since childhood.
One of the women, 21-year-old Kamleshwari Pradhan, said she was coerced by Bajrang Dal members to make false statements and accused the police of misrepresenting her testimony. “They assaulted us and said that if we did not say what they wanted us to, then they would put my brother and the sisters in jail,” she later told reporters. She added that the police altered her statement to include claims she never made, such as being taken forcibly and forced to change religion, as reported by the Indian newspaper The Hindu.
Religious and civil society leaders urge government to act
A local representative of CSI attended the Freedom Park protest in Bengaluru, the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state. At the peaceful protest, participants called for justice and the protection of constitutional rights. Religious and civil society leaders condemned the arrests as politically motivated and urged the Karnataka government to act.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, one of India’s most outspoken Christian leaders, criticized the incident and warned that unless the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, commonly referred to as the “anti-conversion” law, is repealed, similar arrests could take place in the state.
If the law is not withdrawn, “incidents similar to the one in Chhattisgarh could recur in Karnataka as well, causing deep unrest and insecurity among religious minorities,” Archbishop Machado said.
The anti-conversion law in Karnataka was enacted by the previous government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The left-of-center Congress party, which currently governs the state, had promised to repeal the law during its election campaign but has not acted on that commitment, even two years later.
Hindu nationalist groups allege “forcible” conversions without evidence
Most attacks on Christians in India are carried out by Hindu nationalist groups claiming to be responding to “forcible” conversions of Hindus by Christians – a narrative promoted by right-wing organizations without credible evidence or official reports. Anti-conversion laws, currently enforced in 11 states, reinforce this propaganda. Christians are frequently arrested based solely on accusations, often made by third parties with no connection to the alleged victims, while physical violence is portrayed and rationalized as a spontaneous response to unlawful conversions.
Currently, at least 100 Christians are in jail on accusations of “forcible” conversion, according to the local group United Christian Forum (UCF). The law stipulates that no one shall convert another person to a different religion from their ancestors’ by force, fraud or allurement. Some of these laws mandate that individuals obtain permission from local authorities before converting to another religion.
More Christian groups unite to oppose the arrests
Protests were also held in the Udupi and Mangaluru regions of Karnataka on August 4, organized by the Catholic Sabha Mangalore Pradesh and Catholic Sabha Udupi Pradesh, with support from local dioceses and Christian organizations.
Sr. Severine Menezes of the Sisters of St. Ann of Providence said at the protest, “We have sacrificed our families, friends, and personal lives to serve society. We neither fear nor instill fear in others,” as reported by the news portal Daijiworld. She noted that during natural disasters, Christians had stepped forward to help, despite being only 2% of India’s population.
Protests were also held in Kerala and other states. In Chhattisgarh, which is governed by the BJP, police seized microphones used by nuns and leaders of various Christian associations during a candlelight rally on August 4 to protest the arrest of the nuns, according to a report by The Hindu newspaper.
Leader in BJP’s minority wing in Mumbai condemns the harassment
The incident prompted a response from within the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) itself.
Agnelo Fernandes, general secretary of the BJP Minority Morcha (minority forum) in the city of Mumbai, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also from the BJP, requesting intervention. He urged the government to prevent further harassment and said that the targeting of nuns and priests “undermines the values of religious harmony and service that India stands for,” The Free Press Journal reported.
Attacks against Christians have spiked in the past decade
In 2024, India saw an average of more than two attacks per day on its Christian minority, with 834 documented incidents – the highest ever recorded – according to the UCF, as previously reported by CSI. This marked a steep increase of over 555% compared to figures from 2014.
