A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur on Saturday granted bail to three people, including two Kerala nuns, who were charged in an alleged forced conversion and human trafficking case. The nuns, Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary, and their accomplice Sukaman Mandavi were arrested on July 25 at the Durg Railway Station.
A complaint was registered against the trio by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, accusing them of forcefully converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them. "The order was reserved yesterday, today they gave the order, the court has granted bail to all, on condition of Rs 50,000 surety, as well, they will have to submit their passports, they would not be able to leave country. They will have to cooperate in the investigation," said advocate Amrito Das, as reported by news agency PTI.
Kerala govt welcomes decision
The Kerala government has welcomed the NIA court's decision to grant the two nuns bail, with State General Education Minister V Sivankutty calling their arrest a political agenda. In a Facebook post, Sivankutty said this incident shows the double standard of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Chhattisgarh government and blamed it for "destroying religious and personal freedom" that have been guaranteed by the Constitution.
He also said that the BJP has turned a blind eye to the alleged atrocities against the minorities in states where it is in power. "At the same time, the lawyers for the Bajrang Dal demanded that bail not be granted for any reason," he said. "They were unable to control the Bajrang Dal or the Chhattisgarh government. It shows that they were also working together."
Congress slams BJP, asks Chhattisgarh govt to withdraw false cases
Attacking the BJP, Congress MP KC Venugopal asked the Chhattisgarh government to withdraw the false case registered against the two nuns, who have suffered "unjustifiable cruelty" at the hands of Bajrang Dal and the state police. "The case against the nuns is false and unjustifiable. The government should drop the case and take strong action against the Bajrang Dal workers who attacked them at the railway station and later in front of the police," he said, as reported by PTI.
