Unjustified blame game

#Unjustified blame game

Two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, were arrested in Chhattisgarh on July 25, 2025, along with a young man named Sukaman Mandavi. The arrest was made at Durg Railway Station under the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, and human trafficking laws. 

This Act prohibits religious conversion through force, fraud, or inducement. It also requires official permission to take minors or tribal people out of the state, especially when religious activities are involved. If the nuns did not get prior permission, it is treated as a violation of this law, and that forms the legal basis of the arrest.

Protests in Kerala by Congress, the Left parties, and SDPI appear politically motivated and ignore the facts of the case. Some media houses are exaggerating the issue, giving it a communal and political angle. However, there is no clear evidence of any role played by the BJP in this arrest.

 The action was taken by local authorities in Chhattisgarh based on that state’s special legal provisions. So blaming the BJP or central government without proof is not justified. The case should be handled according to law, and not turned into a political or religious controversy.

-K A Solaman