We, the citizens of India, take pride in living in a socialist, secular, and democratic republic. The preamble of the Constitution of India highlights the importance of fraternity, a spirit of brotherhood, and unity to foster and uphold the dignity of individuals as well as the unity and integrity of the nation.

In Kerala, where your political party holds a minority position, efforts are made to foster positive relations with Christians and church leaders. Your party recognises that securing the support of Christians and the church is essential for electoral success in Kerala. Consequently, they exhibit awe and respect towards the Christian community.

However, in Northern India, where your party is either the majority or the ruling party, various forms of oppression against Christians and missionaries are initiated. Often, the missionaries are targeted by atrocities. There are constant accusations against missionaries regarding forceful conversion activities.

Your supporters perceive missionaries as human traffickers, converters and antisocial. The sight of religious attire worn by sisters provokes irritation among your followers in North India.

I would like to draw your attention to the arrest of Sr. Vandana and Sr. Preethi on July 25, 2025, at Durg railway station. They are accused of human trafficking and conversion.

Sr. Vandana had previously served in Narayanpur and had been transferred from there. Three adult women, seeking employment to support their families, approached Sr. Vandana for job opportunities. She successfully secured jobs for all of them.

The families of these women were unable to accompany them to the location where Sr. Vandana was based. Concerned for their safety, Sr. Vandana was opposed to sending the women alone on the train. Therefore, she and Sr. Preethi booked tickets for the women and travelled to Durg to escort them. Their primary concern was the safety of the women.

Upon arrival at the station, the women reached before the sisters and were waiting with a male acquaintance who had accompanied them to the station. While they waited, a railway ticket checker approached and inquired about their train tickets. They responded that the sisters were bringing the tickets.

Despite the sisters presenting the tickets, the authorities were unwilling to accept them. Concurrently, right-wing activists arrived at the scene and began interrogating the sisters. A public trial of sorts ensued, with the law enforcement officials observing. The public accused the sisters of trafficking girls for the purpose of conversion and organ trade.

Despite the presence of the police at the scene, they remained mere bystanders. It was the mob that inspected the documents and luggage of the nuns and the girls. Although there was a crowd at the station, the police were unable to uphold law and order. Do the Chhattisgarh police delegate the responsibility of maintaining law and order to right-wing activists?

If a crime were to occur, any socially responsible citizen could file a complaint; however, if the public detains or harasses an individual, it constitutes anarchy. If the Chhattisgarh police are ineffective in protecting citizens from mob trials, it may be more prudent to disband the entire police force in Chhattisgarh and assign the responsibility of maintaining law and order to right-wing activists.

The police subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on the public's allegations, invoking Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act 1968, which forbids conversion or attempts to convert through coercion, inducement, or deceit, as well as Section 143 of the BNS 2023, which penalises human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, handover, or receipt of individuals through coercion, fraud, or deception, with the intent of exploiting them for profit.

The Chhattisgarh police have adopted a novel interpretation of the law, suggesting that travelling with another person constitutes an attempt at religious conversion. Are the Chhattisgarh police merely puppets, acting according to someone else's agenda?

Had they conducted even a cursory investigation into the validity of the allegations, they would not have invoked Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act 1968. The girls were already Christians; what conversion were they to undergo?

Which legislation stipulates that transporting someone from one city to another, or from one state to another, for employment or educational purposes, constitutes human trafficking?

To establish a crime, there must be a guilty mind, which refers to the intention to commit an offence, a guilty act, which is an action or omission, and harm, which signifies injury to another person, property, or society. Did the police uncover any of these components in this instance?

An FIR, or First Information Report, is filed when the police receive a complaint regarding a cognisable offence. Simultaneously, the police are obligated to verify the credibility of the complainant. Are the Chhattisgarh police always so hasty in filing an FIR upon receiving any complaint against anyone?

Anyone can make malicious allegations against others, but it is the responsibility of the police to assess the credibility of the complaint before filing an FIR. In this instance, the police have not verified the credibility of the complaint. Instead, they yield to the mob in an effort to cater to them.

Will the CG police proceed to file an FIR and apprehend a respected individual if someone claims a cognisable offence? Why is it that the police are so swift to arrest when an allegation is made against a Christian?

The police force is meant to safeguard citizens and their property. However, the CG police remained silent and supported the mob when two women were subjected to mental harassment in public.

Once an FIR is lodged, the police are required to conduct an investigation and establish reasonable grounds to believe that a cognisable offence has occurred. It is important to remind the CG police that an FIR does not serve as a warrant for arrest.

Do the police possess any grounds or evidence indicating that a crime has been committed? Did they conduct any investigation prior to making the arrests? Did they gather any evidence or question any witnesses? The CG police force appears to lack integrity, as they simply complied with the demands of the mob and the right-wing activists present at the scene.

The entire police force of the Chhattisgarh government should feel ashamed of this injustice inflicted upon two women without cause. This arrest and FIR are not based on any evidence; rather, they stem solely from the fact that the individuals involved are Christians and nuns. They face discrimination and are viewed with suspicion due to their religious attire. They have the right and freedom to wear their religious dress.

However, dear Modiji, in your India, nuns are afraid of travelling in their religious attire, particularly in North India. Our sisters have the right and freedom to move freely throughout India in their religious dress. You must ensure justice for the nuns and protect Christians from false allegations and arrests in the future.

Do not grant the members of your political party the freedom to take the law into their own hands. Allow the police to perform their duties without interference. When individuals take the law into their own hands, it constitutes a crime. The practice of mob trials and mob investigations is not a positive trend for our nation.