Nuns are innocent says Amit Shah in his meeting with the Congress MPs

Kerala, July 31, 2025: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has acknowledged procedural lapses in the arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala, according to United Democratic Front (UDF) MPs who met him on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting was held in the context of growing public outrage over the continued detention of the nuns in Chhattisgarh.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the UDF MPs said they raised serious concerns about the manner in which Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeti Mary were arrested on 25 July in Durg, Chhattisgarh. The nuns were charged with forced religious conversion and human trafficking.

“This case has not only affected a small religious group but has shocked the conscience of the entire state of Kerala and beyond,” the MPs said. “This is a stain on the secular fabric of India. Never before has such an absurd and cruel case been filed against Christian nuns, targeting an entire community.”

According to the MPs, Amit Shah admitted that the case had been wrongly transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) without completing proper legal procedures. He reportedly accepted that this decision was a mistake on the government’s part and that it contributed to the rejection of the nuns’ bail application by the district court.

The delegation stated that this is exactly what they and other Congress leaders from Kerala had been saying from the beginning — that the case should not have gone to the NIA. The Home Minister, they claimed, echoed this view during the meeting.

The MPs also demanded that legal action be taken against Bajrang Dal members who allegedly harassed the nuns and levelled false accusations. They warned that unless such actions are addressed, similar incidents may recur in the future.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have publicly extended their support to the ongoing protests and legal efforts to free the two nuns. Both leaders have been vocal in backing the cause and standing in solidarity with Kerala’s Christian community.

The meeting with Shah took place around noon. Ahead of it, he reportedly sought a detailed report from the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and also discussed the matter with the Prime Minister.

The nuns, accompanied by three girls at the time of their arrest, had presented parental consent letters and ID cards for the girls. The girls had also confirmed they were already Christians and were being taken for employment at a hospital run by the congregation. However, Bajrang Dal activists accused them of trafficking and forced conversion.

The Durg Magistrate Court had earlier rejected their bail plea. Based on legal advice, the defence has now approached the Chhattisgarh High Court.

In contrast to Bajrang Dal’s stand — that it would go to the Supreme Court to keep the nuns in jail — Amit Shah reportedly told the MPs that the nuns were innocent and that the situation arose due to flawed procedures.

Image credits: The Reporter

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