BJP Kerala secy meets Chhattisgarh CM Sai, dy CM Sharma over nuns' arrest
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Raipur: Four days after arrest of two Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and attempted religious conversion of three tribal girls, Kerala BJP general secretary Anoop Antony Joseph on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with CM Vishnu Deo Sai and deputy CM, who is also the home minister, Vijay Sharma, on the issue.
He also met the nuns, who are now in judicial custody.
Both the arrested nuns hail from Kerala.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi – the person who got the girls to Durg railway station -- were arrested from the station on July 25 on a complaint filed by a local Bajrang Dal worker who accused them of trafficking the girls to another state and indulging in forced religious conversion.
Later, a delegation including Congress MPs Benny Behanan from Chalakudy and K Francis George from Kottayam, RSP MP NK Premachandran from Kollam and Kerala legislative assembly member Roshi M John met the CM and deputy CM.
Congress MP from Koraput constituency in Odisha, Saptagiri Ulaka, was also a part of the delegation.
After meeting the delegation, Sai said Chhattisgarh is a peace-loving state that believes in harmony and coexistence. "People of all religions live here with mutual respect and brotherhood," he said.
Reassuring the delegation, CM stated that the matter is being investigated as per due judicial process. "Law is taking its course, there is no interference," he added, underlining the "safety and dignity of the state's daughters and citizens."
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Talking to media persons, deputy CM Vijay Sharma said that based on statements recorded by GRP, an FIR was lodged in the case, that happened in Narayanpur district.
"I met Anoop Antony Joseph and he briefed me with the information that he had. Everything is being done legally, and the case is in court. There have been instances in the past where women from Narayanpur have been trafficked in a similar manner. The matter is under investigation," Sharma said.
There was drama at the jail as the Congress MPs were asked to wait and were allowed to meet the nuns only after Joesph, along with state BJP leaders, met them.
They were asked to wait by the jail authorities for almost one and half hours to meet the nuns. The meeting took place only after the intervention of Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.
Talking to reporters outside the jail premises, Premchandran claimed that the nuns were innocent, and it was a deliberate attack on them.
"We were allotted time to meet the nuns at 12.30pm, but we were asked to wait, and the meeting took place only after the BJP delegation met them. We staged a demonstration outside the jail," Premchandran said.
He said that he couldn't disclose the details of the meeting with nuns. The three young girls were being taken for jobs and the nuns had come to receive them at the railway station. Then some Bajrang Dal people arrived and assaulted them, he alleged.
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