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The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Arrest and unrest: on arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh
The arrest of two Catholic nuns by the Chhattisgarh police on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion is another instance of growing religion-related harassment. Keralite Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, from the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, were escorting three tribal girls to an Agra convent for jobs when they were apprehended from Durg railway station on July 25 after a Bajrang Dal member filed a complaint. They have been booked under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968 (conversion) and Section 143 of the BNS (trafficking). While Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai insisted that the nuns were engaging in 'human trafficking and conversion... through inducement', the kin of the girls have since clarified that there was no forceful conversion and they had given their consent to be taken to Agra. The arrests have led to condemnation across the political spectrum against communal vigilantism. Leaders across political lines have protested. Ruling Left Democratic Front and Opposition United Democratic Front MPs from Kerala held dharnas outside Parliament, and the Catholic Church, through its official mouthpiece, Deepika, and other church organisations too denounced the arrests. This is not the first time that a proselytisation row has erupted involving Christian missionaries. Last year marked 25 years of the brutal killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in Odisha. Despite the fact that the Constitution provides citizens the right to practise and propagate the religion of their choice, several States, including U.P., M.P., Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha, have misused provisions of anti-conversion laws that were intended only to prevent conversion through force or fraud or allurement. These laws are often used to criminalise interfaith marriages by labelling conversion by marriage as unlawful. In tribal-dominated regions such as Jharkhand, there is another tension brewing between Adivasis and both Christian tribals and Hindus. While Hindutva groups with the RSS's backing are exhorting tribals to wake up to their Hindu roots, tribal outfits are resisting this and demanding a separate Sarna religious code. Tribal outfits allege that the Hindu groups are doing the same thing as Christian missionaries to subsume their distinct culture. In Chhattisgarh, which has around a 2% Christian population according to the 2011 Census, there is also a debate on whether tribals who are converting to Christianity should be delisted from the Scheduled Tribes. In such a churn, the onus is on political, religious and social organisations to focus on economic development, jobs and welfare. Government machineries should be used to enforce rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, not violate them.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Amid Political Row, No Bail For Nuns Arrested In Religious Conversion Case
A court in Chhattisgarh has declined to hear the bail plea of two Kerala-based nuns, who were arrested in Durg on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. On Wednesday, the sessions court in Durg observed that it lacked jurisdiction because human trafficking charges come under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act and said the nuns should approach the NIA court in Bilaspur. The nuns, Sisters Preeta Mary and Vandana Francis, will remain in judicial custody. The arrests, which took place on July 25 at Durg railway station, following a complaint by local Bajrang Dal member Ravi Nigam, have ignited a political storm in Kerala, and its impact has been felt in Delhi as well. The ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, the opposition United Democratic Front, the Christian community and Church leaders, as well as the state BJP, have condemned the arrest and called for the release of the nuns. The nuns were accompanying three tribal women from Narayanpur district to Agra, where they were to be trained and offered work at Fatima Hospital. The women and their families have reportedly said there was no forced religious conversion and that they were going of their own free will as adults. 'Protesting Attack On Minorities' The court's decision not to hear the bail petition has intensified the political debate surrounding the arrests. MPs from Kerala staged protests outside Parliament, demanding the nuns' release and accusing the Chhattisgarh government of targeting the Christian community. Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi said the nuns were ill-treated and accused of things they did not do. "We are protesting an attack on minorities. Women should not be manhandled. We demand an end to such atrocities." Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also condemned the arrests, calling them a "deliberate act of harassment" based on a "false complaint", and accused the BJP and its ideological affiliates of prejudice against Christians. He stated that "the same people who walk into Christian homes with cakes and smiles are now hunting down nuns." Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma have maintained that the investigation is proceeding as per due judicial process, emphasising the safety and dignity of the state's citizens. Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, however, has expressed support for the nuns, stating he believes the arrests are due to a "misunderstanding" and that the party stands by them.. Christian organisations and leaders have also accused Bajrang Dal activists of assault and coercion. The Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, has said the fact that the nuns have not got bail has made the community wonder what motivates these people to act in such a way. He said the words and actions of leaders and political parties must not be contradictory. The complaint against the nuns includes charges under Section 143 (trafficking of persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 4 (religious conversion) of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Belgium asks ICC to look at war crimes claims against two Israelis
Belgium said Wednesday it would ask the International Criminal Court to look into accusations of war crimes levelled against two Israelis who travelled to a Belgian music festival this month. Belgium asks ICC to look at war crimes claims against two Israelis The pair were briefly held for questioning by prosecutors upon attending the electronic dance music festival near Antwerp, following a complaint filed by pro-Palestinian groups who identified them as Israeli soldiers and accused them of violations in Gaza. Authorities initially said they took action after concluding that Belgian courts had extraterritorial jurisdiction over war crimes cases. But after analysing the complaints the federal prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that the justice ministry would refer the cases to the ICC, which is already investigating possible violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian Territories. "This decision was taken in the interest of the proper administration of justice and in accordance with Belgium's international obligations," the office said. The two Israelis, who have not been named, were held after travelling to Tomorrowland, one of the world's largest electronic dance music festivals. The Israeli foreign ministry described the pair as "an Israeli citizen and an IDF soldier." "The ministry of foreign affairs and the IDF dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two," it added in a statement. Both men were released after questioning by the Belgian authorities and their current whereabouts are unclear. The Hind Rajab Foundation , a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation which triggered the investigation, welcomed the referrals but argued Belgium "should have gone further" and prosecuted the pair directly or extradited them to the ICC. "We now urge the ICC to act without delay," it said in a statement. The ICC opened an investigation in 2021 into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian Territories, including in Gaza. In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the campaign against Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, the ICC issued arrest warrants against three senior Hamas leaders over the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war. All three have since died. The ICC collects potential evidence for many different sources and under its founding statute, anyone individuals, NGOs, institutions or governments can submit whatever they like. It is then up to the prosecutor to decide how credible the source and the information is and whether to use it in a potential case. mad-ub/ec/jxb This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
