Bajrang Dal member caught on video threatening arrested nuns with smashing their faces

The Catholic nuns, who were in Chhattisgarh police custody after being implicated in human trafficking and illegal conversion by Hindutva organisations despite evidence of their innocence, were caught on video being threatened by Bajrang Dal member Jyoti Sharma inside the police station, in the presence of police officials.

In the video, Jyoti is seen yelling at Mandavi and issuing threats to the nuns, saying she would “smash their face” if they refused to speak, while accusing them of being part of a human trafficking and religious conversion racket, The News Minute reported.

She claimed that the group’s belongings—including a Bible, a photo, an ATM card, and a diary with pastors’ phone numbers—were evidence of religious conversion activities, and she questioned the presence of local supporters gathered for the nuns, asserting her role as a member of a Hindu organisation there to “save her daughter.”

The two nuns, Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), were arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police on July 26 at Durg Railway Station along with a young man, Sukhman Mandavi, while they were accompanying three women from Narayanpur district to Agra for domestic work.

Although the Raipur Diocese later clarified that the three young women, aged between 18 and 19, were travelling with their families’ consent to take up kitchen helper jobs in convents with monthly salaries between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000, the police arrested the nuns and charged them under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for trafficking, and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968. These sections carry prison terms of up to 10 years, and the three remain in judicial custody at Durg Central Jail.

The arrests drew sharp criticism from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), with its president Reverend Andrews Thazhath, who is also the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur, condemning the actions of Bajrang Dal members while urging people not to forget the role nuns play in uplifting the downtrodden. He expressed gratitude to Kerala’s MPs for raising the matter in Parliament, though a motion for discussion was disallowed by the Chair.

The CPI(M) condemned the arrests and criticised the police and railway officials, calling the case a violation of constitutional rights and asserting that the charges were grave and unacceptable. The party stated that the Constitution guarantees not only the right to practise religion but also the right to propagate it. VD Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, said attacks on Christian clergy in North India were becoming frequent and warned that priests and nuns now fear wearing their religious dress in public.

Family members of the arrested nuns said they were merely helping marginalised women find employment and warned that such incidents should not be viewed in isolation, as similar hostility had been reported from parts of North India. While Union Minister George Kurian declined to comment, citing the matter was sub judice, Kerala BJP vice-president Shone George said they would ensure the nuns’ safety if found innocent.

Meanwhile, Jyoti Sharma defended her behaviour in a statement to Asianet News, saying she only targeted those involved in religious conversions and insisted it was the responsibility of both Hindu organisations and the police to intervene.