RAIPUR: Kamleshwari Pradhan, 21, one of the three tribal girls spotted at Chhattisgarh's Durg railway station on 25 July, appeared disheartened over the arrest of two Kerala-based Catholic nuns and alleged that they were being framed. She insisted that both the nuns were “innocent” and “should be released”.
Two nuns, Sister Preethi Marry and Sister Vandana Francis, along with Sukman Mandvi were taken into custody last Friday by the Government Railway Police (GRP) following a strong demonstration and a written complaint by Bajrang Dal activists. The activists had found the nuns accompanying three tribal girls, aged between 18 and 21, at Durg station while en route to Agra.
Speaking to this newspaper over the phone, Kamleshwari said that all three girls were going to Agra for training and employment, having obtained prior consent from their parents.
“The nuns should be released from jail and justice should prevail. No one was taking us forcibly. There was no allurement or temptation given to us, but we were willingly going to get some job,” said Kamleshwari, who initially seemed hesitant to speak. She has studied up to Class 10.
When asked about the issue of forced religious conversion, which is part of the case registered against the three, she said, “Our family already embraced Christianity some six years ago, so where does the question of forced religious conversion arise? While we were giving our statement to the police, I saw something different being taken down by the police. When we questioned the statements being altered on record, they (Bajrang Dal activists) asked us to narrate the details as per their line of thoughts,” the girl alleged.
She further claimed that “not only me, but the other two girls were badly treated and slapped by one Jyoti Sharma, who was threatening us that if we don’t follow them as dictated, all of us will land in jail”.
Chhattisgarh Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and former Bajrang Dal state head Ghanshyam Choudhari told The New Indian Express that their cadres acted only to stave off what they believed was an impending issue of religious conversion and human trafficking involving tribal girls. He said the intervention occurred after noticing one of the girls sitting with the nuns at Durg railway platform was crying and allegedly expressed a desire to return home.
Choudhari stated that Jyoti Sharma supports social and welfare causes but is not associated with Bajrang Dal.
Responding to Kamleshwari's claim that her family had converted to Christianity years ago, Choudhari said her statement only supported their concern that religious conversions of tribals continue unchecked in the Bastar region.
The lower Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court and later the Sessions Fast Track Special Court Judge denied bail to the two nuns. Their bail plea will now be heard in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court at Bilaspur, 110 km east of the capital Raipur.
