In a disturbing incident raising concerns over profiling and due process, two nuns and eight candidates of the Visitation Sisters were detained and interrogated by Railway Police at Indore Railway Station on April 7, 2026, for nearly four hours on suspicion of human trafficking and forced conversion, before being released following coordinated intervention by Church authorities.

According to Sr. Jaseentha Thomas, Provincial Superior of the Visitation Sisters, the group had arrived at the station around 2:00 PM to board the Puri Humsafar Express to Bhubaneswar for a scheduled holiday. The candidates and two sisters, dressed in civilian attire (chudidar), had taken their reserved seats. A sister-in-charge, who had accompanied them in religious habit, ensured that all were settled in their respective berths and then left the station, returning to the convent.

En route, the sister-in-charge received a phone call from the candidates. During the conversation, she overheard unknown persons questioning them inside the coach. Within moments, the call was abruptly disconnected. Alarmed, she immediately returned to the station, only to find that Railway Police had entered the compartment, accused the group of being trafficked, and taken all ten individuals to the Railway Police Station for interrogation.

Upon her arrival, the sister-in-charge herself was questioned and briefly suspected of involvement. She clarified her position by demonstrating that she was not among the passengers, as her name did not appear on the tickets. Meanwhile, the police collected Aadhaar details of all detainees, contact numbers of their parents, and demanded documentary proof after the candidates identified themselves as students travelling voluntarily.

As the situation unfolded, the sister-in-charge promptly informed the Provincial Superior, Sr. Jaseentha Thomas, providing details of the detention and the accusations being levelled. Recognising the seriousness of the matter, the Provincial immediately alerted Church authorities at the diocesan level. Acting without delay, Church authorities reached out to senior Railway Police officials, conveying the identity of the detainees, the purpose of their travel, and the lack of any credible basis for the allegations.

The police later revealed that they had acted on information provided by an unidentified individual, likely someone familiar with the Visitation Sisters' community or observing them.

A member of the Visitation Sisters indicated that the intervention gained urgency as senior Railway officials, including one familiar with a diocesan-run Catholic school, took cognisance of the situation and intervened immediately. Following this, the detained nuns and candidates were released around 5:00 PM. However, they missed their scheduled train, which had departed at 3:00 PM, and later returned safely to their convent.

"The candidates remained composed and courageous throughout the ordeal. They responded clearly to the questions and even asked on what grounds they were being detained," said Sr. Thomas, expressing concern while acknowledging the timely intervention that ensured their release.

Victims Are Criminalised, Perpetrators Protected
The incident reminded me of a similar pattern within the police administration that I have personally encountered. In a recent intervention at a private firm, Sanjibini Enterprise, in Bhubaneswar, I helped rescue three trafficked minors lured with false promises of computer-based jobs offering ?20,000 per month, but forced to deposit the same amount upfront. The victims—mostly from marginalised Adivasi and Dalit communities—described how vulnerable youth are systematically recruited, often coerced into bringing others, while being confined, underfed, and subjected to exploitative conditions.

Despite filing a case with the Odisha State Child Protection Society and approaching senior police officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, no FIR has been registered. When the matter was raised in February 2026, the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police responded dismissively, stating that if Adivasi and Dalit youth from Kandhamal do not avail free education, the company cannot be blamed, and remarked to the victims, "Are you not at least being fed by the company?"

Such statements criminalise the victims and protect the perpetrators. They reflect a prejudicial and reckless administrative response. The continued inaction, despite repeated complaints, raises serious apprehensions that the police administration may be aware of the company's operations, yet has failed to take appropriate legal action.

This contrast—where unverified accusations led to the swift detention of nuns, while substantiated complaints of trafficking remain unaddressed—raises serious concerns about selective enforcement, institutional bias, and the failure to uphold due process and equal protection under the law.

Failure of the Police Administration and Legal System
There is a deeply concerning contradiction within sections of the Indian police administration. While there is inaction—even in the face of credible cases of human trafficking, forced labour, and violence against Dalits, Tribals, and other marginalised communities—the same machinery often acts swiftly on unverified allegations against nuns.

When nuns travel with girls—whether to convents or to their family homes—they are increasingly being stopped, interrogated, and even removed from trains, only to face false accusations of trafficking or forced conversion. This pattern raises serious concerns about selective enforcement, bias, and misuse of authority against vulnerable and minority groups.

This incident raises serious legal concerns, as the police themselves—who are meant to protect—became the source of suspicion, detention, and interrogation. Holding the nuns and candidates for hours without clear grounds amounts to unlawful restraint and confinement under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Acting on unverified information and without due procedure points to misuse of authority and wrongful accusation.

It also violated fundamental constitutional rights. The arbitrary detention breached Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the freedom of movement under Article 19(1)(d), while the absence of basic safeguards went against Article 22. Most troubling, those entrusted with upholding the law failed in their duty, raising serious concerns of abuse of power and lack of accountability.

A Larger Pattern of State-Enabled Vigilantism
This is not an isolated incident. In recent months, nearly ten cases have been reported in which nuns were targeted—stopped mid-journey, intimidated, forcibly disembarked, and detained, often in Railway Police Stations. Disturbingly, in none of these instances were allegations of trafficking or forced conversion substantiated, nor were any credible links established.

In June 2025, I personally intervened at the Government Railway Police Station in Khordha, where a nun and four aspirants had been detained under similar suspicion. We demanded their immediate release and ensured police protection until they reached home safely.

Further, this is not an isolated incident involving the Visitation Sisters but part of a recurring pattern. On August 7, 2025, in Jaleswar Parish, two Catholic priests and two members of the Visitation congregation were attacked and assaulted by Bajrang Dal members, falsely accused of religious conversion while returning from a prayer service in a Catholic home.

Silence and Compliance Enable Injustice
What is most alarming in India today is that, after prolonged harassment, intimidation, and abuse—often under the false pretext of trafficking or forced conversion—nuns and young aspirants are eventually released, and we praise the administration for a "timely intervention." Yet we fail to ask why these innocent individuals were detained in the first place. Why are false accusers not arrested? Why are police officers who fail to uphold the Constitution not questioned? And in this case, why are those officers—who falsely accused, suspected, and disrupted their journey—not held accountable?

Unfortunately, many fail to grasp the gravity of this moment. To my knowledge, none of the victim nuns or aspirants—detained without any basis—have filed an FIR against those who falsely accused them. This silence reflects fear, pressure, and a system that discourages truth. When I contacted the relevant authorities for the nuns, I was told that "everyone is fine," gratitude was expressed, and there was reluctance to report the incident. We are hesitant to exercise what is lawful and constitutionally guaranteed. Even the educated and informed are choosing silence over truth.

For me, this is not innocence but compliance—a betrayal of the innocents, who are humiliated, assaulted, imprisoned, and even killed by those who follow this ideology. It is also a betrayal of the Constitution and the teachings of Christ. Worse still, some ignore or justify such suffering, turning silence into a denial of the very principles of love, justice, and solidarity that Christ taught us.