New Twist: Chhattisgarh Court Grants Bail to 2 Kerala Nuns
The arrest of two Kerala nuns and a tribal man in Chhattisgarh for ‘conversion and trafficking’ was based on false claims, later exposed through videos and witness accounts.
In a recent case that sparked national attention, two Catholic nuns from Kerala — Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethi Mary — along with a tribal man named Sukhman Mandavi, were arrested on 25th July 2025 in Chhattisgarh. They were accused of forced religious conversion and human trafficking involving three tribal women. However, this case took a dramatic turn after videos, witness statements, and family confirmations exposed the truth — the accusations were false.
The families of the three tribal women — Sukhmati Mandavi, Lalita Usendi, and Kamaleswari Pradhan — came forward and clearly stated that the women were Christians by birth, not recent converts. They were also not minors as claimed, but adults who had agreed to travel to Agra for employment. Their families had given full written consent and said the women were informed well in advance. One girl had even worked with the nuns earlier in Lucknow.
Despite these facts, they were arrested, triggering widespread protests, especially from Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the arrests and wrote to Prime Minister Modi, asking for immediate action and the release of the nuns.
A Bajrang Dal member, Saurabh Dewangan, had claimed the women were forced, carried fake Aadhaar cards, and were being trafficked. These claims were quickly picked up by many media outlets. But a video by VLC News, filmed on the day of the arrest, showed the women clearly explaining that they were going to Agra for work as cooks at a center run by the nuns. They said everything had been explained properly and they had agreed willingly.
Shockingly, VLC News made this video private once it began going viral. In later interviews, the three women tearfully shared how they were abused by Jyoti Sharma, an activist from Durga Vahini Matrushakti who led the Bajrang Dal group. They said she slapped them in public and inside the police station, dragged them, insulted their caste and religion, and forced them to give false statements. The Railway Police allegedly watched in silence as this happened.
The women later filed a counter-FIR to tell the truth. After spending nine days in jail, the case was transferred to a special NIA court in Bilaspur under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita law. On 2nd August, the court granted bail to the nuns and Sukhman Mandavi, saying there was no solid evidence of conversion or trafficking. They were released with bail conditions like paying ?50,000 and surrendering their passports.
This entire case has raised serious concerns about how easily false narratives about forced conversion can spread, often targeting minority communities. It also highlights how vigilante groups take the law into their own hands, with little police action. Activist Jyoti Sharma has been involved in such actions before, under the name of ‘ghar wapsi’, claiming she is bringing people back to Hinduism.
Father Olikkarott from Kerala pointed out that between 2014 and 2024, over 4,300 attacks were reported against Christians in India. The arrest of these nuns and a tribal man now seems to be more about politics and hate than actual crime, showing how laws can be misused and minorities unfairly targeted.
