Maoist `circular' admits to heavy casualties
The Central Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has come out with the 22-page statement — which has gone viral on social media — with an appeal to observe the 'memorial week' from July 28 to August 3 in the memory of the Naxalites killed in the action by security forces.
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Hans India
39 minutes ago
- Hans India
CBCI, Oppn parties slam arrest of two nuns by Chhattisgarh Police
Thiruvananthapuram: The president of the Catholics Bishop Conference of India ( CBCI) Reverend Andrews Thazhath, who is also the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur, on Monday slammed the Chhattisgarh Police for arresting two nuns from Kerala and a man on accusations of alleged human trafficking and religious conversion by the Bajrang Dal. 'This has happened in a country where freedom of religion is allowed and hence this act should be seen very seriously. The nuns were attacked by the Bajrang Dal activists and none should forget that nuns always stand and work for the uplift of the downtrodden,' said Thazhath. 'Irrespective of whoever governs the country, the freedom of religion should be protected and upheld. Incidentally across the country at some places Christians are living in a state of fear. We have already brought this to the attention of our Prime Minister Modi,' added Thazhath. On Monday, lawmakers from Kerala, barring the BJP, brought the issue of the harassment of the nuns and their arrest, to the attention of the House by way of a notice for an adjournment motion, but it was disallowed. Thazhath however thanked the lawmakers for raising this issue in the Parliament. The nuns, Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis attached to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation under the Syro-Malabar Church in Alappuzha district, were working at a hospital in Agra. On Saturday, the two nuns and the man, identified as Sukhman Mandavi, were accompanying three women from Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district to Agra, where they had been offered jobs of kitchen helpers at a Convent. At the railway station they were accosted by Bajrang Dal activists and the police also arrived on the scene. Both the nuns and the man were soon taken into custody and later produced before a local court which sent them to judicial custody. Close relatives of the two nuns are aghast at this act of jailing the hapless nuns whose only interest was the welfare of the downtrodden girls. 'This should not be seen as a one off incident, as we have been told that things do not augur well now in certain places in North India,' said the family of the nuns. The CPI-M state secretariat in a statement condemned the Chhattisgarh Police and the Railway officials and accused them of dancing to the tunes of Bajrang Dal activists. 'This issue should not just be seen as a Christian issue but also a gross violation of the Constitution as this is nothing but an intrusion on minority rights. There is every right not just to practice religion but also propagate it. Grave charges have been slapped on the arrested, this is in no way acceptable,' read the CPI-M statement. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said he had just spoken to the aged parents of one of the arrested nuns. 'This incident is not just a one off incident as incidence of attacking Christian nuns and priests in several states in North India are increasing by the day. It has come to a stage when Christian priests and nuns cannot even wear their official dress for fear of being attacked. This has to end quickly and authorities have to do the needful,' said Satheesan. Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian, said that since the matter was sub judice and he was a Minister, he would not make any comment on the issue. Kerala state BJP vice-president Shone George said, 'I will say that let the court take the call and if the nuns are innocent, we have made all arrangement to ensure they are safely taken back to their respective places.'
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh blatant misuse of law: CPI(M) MP John Brittas
New Delhi, The arrest of two nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh's Durg is a "blatant misuse of law", CPI MP John Brittas said on Monday and demanded that they be set free. Arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh blatant misuse of law: CPI(M) MP John Brittas In a post on X, Brittas also shared a letter written by him to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, expressing deep concerns and seeking his immediate intervention in the arrest of the two Catholic nuns from Kerala Sister Vandhana Francis and Sister Preethi by the Government Railway Police from the Durg railway station on the morning of July 25, and their subsequent judicial remand under the charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. "The arrest of Kerala nuns Sr. Vandana Francis and Sr. Preethi at Durg on baseless trafficking and conversion charges is a disgrace. This is blatant misuse of the law to target minorities. Free the nuns and stop the hate campaign against those serving society!" Brittas said in a post on X. According to media reports, the Kerala-based nuns were arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by right-wing activists. In his letter to the Chhattisgarh chief minister dated July 27, Brittas said according to information received, the two nuns had travelled from Agra to Durg to receive three women and a man accompanying them. These individuals had travelled from Jharkhand with proper consent, intending to work in the convent. However, upon arrival, all six were taken into custody by GRP personnel, reportedly on false allegations of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. "According to information received, the two nuns had travelled from Agra to Durg to receive three adult girls and a man accompanying them. These individuals had travelled from Jharkhand with proper consent, intending to work in the convent. "However, upon arrival, all six were taken into custody by GRP personnel, reportedly on false allegations of human trafficking and forced religious conversion," Brittas said. The Communist Party of India leader added that reportedly, there was no indication of coercion nor any credible evidence to suggest conversion. "However, latest reports indicate that the authorities have filed an FIR, and three adults including the two nuns have now been remanded to judicial custody," he said. He called it a shocking development and said it appears to reflect "a growing trend of targeting minority communities under flimsy and communally charged allegations". "Even more alarming is the reported confiscation of their mobile phones and the absence of any formal communication with the families of the detainees," Brittas said. He also said the incident has caused "deep anguish in Kerala and across the country, given its potential implications for minority rights, and the misuse of anti-conversion provisions to criminalise lawful social or religious activity". "It is in the interest of justice, constitutional values, and the secular fabric of our democracy that this matter be addressed with the utmost urgency.... I earnestly urge your good self to immediately intervene to secure the release of Sr. Vandhana Francis and Sr. Preethi, who remain under judicial custody," he said. The Left leader also sought an "independent and impartial inquiry" into the background of the complaint, and the role played by right-wing groups in influencing police action that led to this "unwarranted" and "disturbing" development. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Alert on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border for Maoist ‘Martyrs' Week'
Hyderabad: Police were on high alert on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in view of the Martyrs' Week being observed by the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist. Police beefed up security and launched search operations in areas bordering Chhattisgarh in Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. The CPI-Maoist has called for Martyrs' Day week from July 28 to August 3 and appealed to people to make the programmes a success. Security personnel were conducting vehicle checks in agency areas of Venkatapuram, Wazeedu, Eturunagaram, and Kannaigudem 'mandals' (blocks) in Mulugu district. Meanwhile, Maoist banners and pamphlets surfaced in Charla mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Monday. Maoists displayed banners and kept pamphlets on the highway near R. Kothagudem and at Danavaipeta village in Charla mandal. Through these banners and pamphlets, the left-wing ultras appealed to people to make Martyrs' Week celebrations a success. The banned outfit condemned Operation Kagar of the Central government in Chhattisgarh. Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were on high alert in the border areas of Bhadrachalam sub-division. Security personnel were thoroughly inspecting vehicles on the roads from Bhadrachalam to Charla, Venkatapuram. CPI-Maoist observes the Martyrs' Week every year to commemorate the death anniversary of Charu Majumdar, who had initiated the Naxalite movement in West Bengal in 1967 with the Naxalbari uprising. Majumdar had died in police custody on July 28, 1972. Meanwhile, police have also beefed up security in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region in view of the Maoists' call to observe Martyrs' Week. Vehicle checking was intensified in the agency areas in the region as part of the measures to foil any programme. The Maoist movement in both the Telugu states is at its lowest ebb due to massive setbacks to the banned outfit during the anti-Maoist operations over the last 10-15 years. However, police remained on alert on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border and in the AOB region to foil the continued attempts by Maoists to revive their activities.
