Two nuns booked by police in Chhattisgarh meet Kerala BJP chief in Delhi

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi | Two Catholic nuns, who were arrested by police in Chhattisgarh and later released on bail, met Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar at his residence in New Delhi on Saturday. They were accompanied by their family members.

The nuns--Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis--were arrested for alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion in Chhattisgarh on July 25. They were released on bail by a Special NIA court there early this month.

BJP sources here said the nuns and family members visited Chandrasekhar to thank him for his interventions.

One of the relatives later told reporters that they shared with the BJP state chief their anxieties regarding the case.

"We are very much aware of those who intervened for us when the nuns were in jail. We want to thank them all. We came here as part of that," he said.

When the media asked about the future course of the case, he said they shared their anxieties regarding the case with Chandrasekhar and he assured them of all possible support.

He also said the BJP chief has a clear understanding of the issue and so the nuns and their families expect his support in future as well.

Nuns Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis along with Sukaman Mandavi were arrested at Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them.

A special NIA court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district granted conditional bail to them on August 2.