Priyanka Gandhi Protests Arrest of Nuns, Slams BJP Over Minority Atrocities

New Delhi, July 30, 2025: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday strongly criticised the BJP-led government over alleged atrocities on minorities, staging a protest near the Makar Dwar of Parliament alongside several opposition MPs from Kerala. The protest was held in response to the recent arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala—Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis—along with Sukaman Mandavi in Chhattisgarh.

The three women were arrested on 25 July at Durg railway station following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary. They were accused of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them. The arrested women are currently being held at Durg Central Jail.

“Some nuns from Kerala were very badly ill-treated. They were accused of things they were not doing. They were manhandled and then taken away by Chhattisgarh police. We are protesting against these kinds of attacks on minorities,” Priyanka Gandhi told reporters.

She went on to demand an end to what she described as “atrocity against minorities.”

“It is not fair at all, these are ladies… they cannot be manhandled and treated like this. You cannot just accuse people of things they are not doing,” she said.

Alleging political inaction, Gandhi stated, “The government doesn’t take action on anything except their publicity, their PR and when elections are coming what face they want to show to the public. They do not take action on anything concrete, so I don’t expect action but it is our job to push them and pressurise them as much as we can.”

A delegation of leaders from the Congress-led UDF alliance in Kerala visited the Durg Central Jail in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday and met the arrested nuns. The same delegation also met with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who assured them that the matter would be investigated thoroughly.

Also present at the protest were Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, RSP MP N K Premachandran, and other Congress MPs from Kerala. The protestors demanded the immediate release of the arrested nuns, calling the charges baseless and politically motivated.

Priyanka Gandhi Protests Arrest of Nuns, Slams BJP Over Minority Atrocities

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