A 21-year-old tribal woman from Narayanpur district in Chhattisgarh has claimed she was assaulted and coerced by Bajrang Dal activists to give a false statement leading to the arrest of two Catholic nuns and one other person on charges of human trafficking and religious conversion, as per PTI report.
The nuns, Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis from Kerala, were arrested on July 25 at Durg Railway Station along with a man named Sukhman Mandavi.
Kamleshwari Pradhan, one of the women at the center of the case, told PTI that she and two other women were traveling with the nuns with their family's full consent to take up jobs in a Christian hospital in Bhopal. "We were promised Rs 10,000 salary, food, clothes and accommodation," she said.
"I Was Threatened, Slapped, and Forced to Lie": Woman's Shocking Allegation
Speaking from her village Kukrajhor in the Abujhmad area, Kamleshwari made serious allegations against Bajrang Dal workers, claiming she was threatened, abused and even slapped by individuals who forced her to say she was being trafficked and converted against her will.
"A woman named Jyoti Sharma, who identified herself as a right-wing activist, slapped me at the GRP station and threatened that my brother would be jailed if I didn't lie," Kamleshwari said. "The police didn't record my actual statement either. They told me to stay quiet if I want to go home."
She asserted that her family had already been practicing Christianity for the past 4-5 years, adding that her mother's recovery from illness after attending a "changai sabha" (healing prayer meeting) was the reason they embraced the faith.
Nuns Deny Conversion Charges; Political Row Escalates
The accused nuns and Sukhman Mandavi have denied the charges, stating that the women accompanying them were already Christian and going voluntarily for employment. The arrest has triggered a political backlash, with the Congress and CPI(M) criticizing the ruling BJP government in the state for allegedly targeting the Christian community.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai dismissed the opposition's criticism, saying, "The matter is being politicized unnecessarily."
Meanwhile, the Durg Sessions Court ruled it does not have jurisdiction to hear the bail pleas and directed the accused to approach a Special NIA Court.
Bajrang Dal Denies All Allegations
Ravi Nigam, convener of the Bajrang Dal Durg unit, rejected the accusations. "We have neither threatened nor assaulted anyone. CCTV footage at the railway station will reveal the truth," he told reporters.
Tribal Woman Appeals for Justice
Kamleshwari, who studied till Class 10 and works as a daily wage laborer earning Rs 250 per day, said she was only seeking a better livelihood. "Sukhman is like a brother to me. He introduced me to the opportunity. Many women from our area have earlier worked in Christian hospitals and returned safely," she said.
Appealing to the state government, she urged authorities to release the three arrested individuals, calling them innocent.