Christian nuns arrested under false charges: Brinda Karat

Left Leaders and MPs meet two Christian nuns and an Adivasi youth imprisoned on false charges as part of a ‘Hate Campaign’ against minorities at Durg Central Jail.

“Chhattisgarh Jan Sangharsh Morcha calls for united resistance against the repression of minorities by Sanghi-Manuwadi fascist forces in the State; street corner meeting to be held in Bhilai on Hiroshima Day, August 6”

Durg (Team Newsbuddy): Former MP and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, CPI National Executive member Annie Raja, CPI(M) MP A.A. Rahim, along with a large number of activists from the left movement, met with Christian nuns Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, and Adivasi youth Sukhman Mandavi, who are imprisoned in Durg Central Jail under false charges of religious conversion and human trafficking.A delegation of the Jan Sangharsh Morcha Chhattisgarh, comprising CPI and CPI(M) activists, also accompanied the visit.

However, after meeting the nuns at Durg jail and talking to ‘ Newsbuddy’ former MP and CPI(M) polit member Brinda Karat said that atrocities on minorities in the states like Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh have increased to many folds. The members of minorities are being harrased by the saffron brigade led by Bharatiya Janata Party. They are taking the law in there own and are clearly violating the human rights act which is being supported by ruling BJP government. The two Christian nuns have fallen into this trap and are arrested under false charges of human trafficking, which sends a loud message of saffron brigade misconduct. She said that the Christian nuns were carrying all valid documents of tribal girls employment in Agra but still they were blamed guilty. Chhattisgarh is becoming epic centers of minorities harrasment,which is a concern now and proper steps should taken for its betterment,added Brinda.

Meanwhile ,the delegation included Morcha state convenor Comrade Prasad Rao, PUCL State Secretary and Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti convenor Comrade Kaladas, CPI(ML) Red Star State Secretary Comrade Saura, CPI(ML) Red Star Polit Bureau member Comrade Tuhin, along with Sajjad Hussain, Sukhdev Singh Gill, Pastor Choaram, Bishop Somanathan, Purushottam, and R.N. Yadav.

Speaking to the media in the jail premises, leaders of Jan Sangharsh Morcha Chhattisgarh strongly condemned the violent hate campaign being waged by the fascist Sangh Parivar against minorities, especially Christians and Muslims, and emphasized the urgent need for progressive democratic forces to come together in united resistance. As part of this resistance, they announced a campaign beginning with a street corner meeting in Bhilai on Hiroshima Day (August 6) and an Anti-Fascist People’s Convention in Bilaspur on September 27.

The Jan Sangharsh Morcha convenors stated that across Chhattisgarh and the country, the world’s largest and oldest fascist organization—the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—is leading a vicious campaign to divert attention from burning livelihood issues in the interest of corrupt corporate houses like Adani and Ambani. This diversion comes at the cost of increased repression on minorities, Dalits, women, Adivasis and poor toiling masses .While the RSS primarily targets Muslims across India through its affiliated outfits, in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh the Christian community is especially being persecuted.
In the recent incident in Durg, the saffron outfit Bajrang Dal created a ruckus, physically assaulted tribal girls, and misbehaved with two elderly Catholic nuns from Kerala. They pressured the police into arresting the nuns and the youth under false charges of religious conversion and human trafficking. In BJP-ruled states with “double engine” governments, outfits like Bajrang Dal have been empowered to act with impunity, while the police dances to their tune. The BJP, which operates under the ideological leadership of the RSS, pretends to uphold the Indian Constitution, but it does not believe in its values or secularism.
The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, holding a constitutional post, behaves like an RSS pracharak, making biased statements regarding the arrest of the innocent nuns, despite the police having produced no evidence to support the charges of conversion or trafficking. Due to pressure from Bajrang Dal, the police registered false cases, and even the courts have refused to grant bail to the innocent nuns and Adivasi youth Sukhman.

It has come to light that three young women from Orchha, who were voluntarily going with the Christian sisters to work as domestic help at a Christian mission in Agra, were beaten and coerced into giving false testimony against the nuns. Sukhman’s only ‘fault’ was that he helped the girls board the train after speaking to their families and getting their consent.

The Jan Sangharsh Morcha Chhattisgarh leadership declared that they will launch an anti-fascist campaign against the rising tide of hatred, divisive politics, and repression of minorities in the state. As part of this, a street corner meeting will be organized at Parivar Chowk in Bhilai on Hiroshima Day, August 6, followed by a state-level Anti-Sanghi-Manuwadi Fascist People’s Convention in Bilaspur on September 27.