'Fringe Elements Must Be Brought Under Control'

'They should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the heads of various Christian organisations during his visit to Kerala. Photograph: ANI Photo

It was on the 26th of July that Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, two Catholic nuns from Kerala, working in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, were arrested along with Sukaman Mandavi, a youth from Narayanpur by the Chhattisgrah police at the Durg railway station.

The alleged crime committed by the nuns: Forced religious conversion and human trafficking.

The nuns were charged under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (trafficking of persons) and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act (1968).

On the 30th of July a sessions court in Durg district disposed of the bail application of two nuns saying that the matter should be heard by the National Investigation Agency court.

On the 2nd of August, eight days after their arrest, the nuns were granted bail by a special NIA court on condition that they surrender their passports and furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 each.

The battle for justice is not over yet. It only begins now.

It is against this background that Rediff's Shobha Warrier spoke to the president of Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, who is the current Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

"When a mob, a crowd with vested interests, start to implement the rule of the country, this is what happens. And it is dangerous," Cardinal Baselios Cleemis says in the first of a two-part interview.

When I spoke to you 10 years ago, in 2015 at the Bishop's House in Thiruvananthapuram, you were just back from Ranaghat after meeting a 70-year-old nun who had been raped.
You were disturbed while speaking about that crime and also the increase in the attacks on churches after the BJP came to power.
After the latest arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh, do you think the situation has worsened?

It was a very tragic incident that happened in 2015. I was also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India then.

Now, the situation is that two sisters were arrested. Of course, they were granted bail. We are waiting for the judicial process to start.

The alarming part of it is that some fundamentalist groups could take the situation under their control and to their advantage. They could restrain everyone concerned including the ruling governments too from acting. I mean, both the state and the Centre as well.

This is the present situation.

We are looking for a strong decision from the state and the central governments so that these groups are curtailed and contained, and there is respect for religion and each human being.

We expect such a decision from them without delay.

What happened at the railway station was a trial by a violent mob where the nuns were abused mentally and verbally...

You are right. The police had the power to check such violent reactions. Nobody can deny that.

But when a mob, a crowd with vested interests, start to implement the rule of the country, this is what happens. And it is dangerous.

IMAGE: Sister Preethi Mary and Sister Vandana Francis after securing bail. Photograph: ANI Photo

I remember in 2015 also, you said that more than the ruling party, it is the fringe elements who were involved in such violent activities.
It continues even after 10 years...

Yes. Maybe a different group now. That's the only difference.

The situation is moving from one place to another, and one group to another.

That's why the fringe elements should be brought under control and they should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.

IMAGE: MPs Shashi Tharoor, N K Premachandran, Hibi Eden, K C Venugopal, Priyanka Vadra and others protest outside Parliament over Sister Preethi Mary and Sister Vandana Francis' arrest in Chhattisgarh, August 5, 2025. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

The FIRs filed against the nuns were forcible religious conversion and human trafficking which is a very grave offence.

It is very upsetting and disturbing.

Why we are upset is, first of all, these nuns are accused of these crimes. From the information we have received from their acquaintances, we consider them innocent. They are innocent, simple nuns. They are Christians fully involved in their work.

If such kind of atrocities are committed against innocent nuns, what will be the condition of our country?

What about the secular face of the country?

What about the democratic image of the country?

What about the freedom of individuals?

What about human rights when a mob interrogates a person at a public place and decides the fate of the individual?

Each person in this country has the right to protect her or his reputation and good name irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliation.

IMAGE: Cardinal Baselios Cleemis

You said you expect the state and central governments to take a decision so that there is justice for the nuns.
While the Congress, UDF and LDF condemned the incident, the Kerala state BJP said it was a case of misunderstanding...

Yes, the president of the Kerala state BJP categorically said that the nuns were innocent and it was just an accusation against them.

That is the stand all of us have.

But the Chhattisgarh BJP government does not feel that way and the Centre has been silent...

We are grateful that they helped the sisters to come out of prison.

At the same time, we want justice to be given to them.

If the trial goes for a prolonged period, you will be curtailing their freedom. They are free citizens of this country.

It should be taken note of that they did not commit any grave crime.

The Centre has to see to it that the sisters got justice without delay. Of course, after due process. And we have great trust in the judiciary of this country.