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New Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Has the country become banana republic, asks CPI MP on arrest of Kerala nuns
NEW DELHI: Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P Sandosh Kumar said on Tuesday that the arrests of two Catholic nuns, hailing from Kerala, in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion are "strange and shocking," and questioned if the country has become a "banana republic." According to media reports, the Kerala-based nuns were arrested at a railway station in Chhattisgarh recently on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by right-wing activists. "This is a strange, shocking case. The charges are under (section) 143 of the BNS, which is human trafficking. If more than one victim is involved, it is an offence punishable with more than 10 years of imprisonment," Kumar told PTI Videos. "What is this human trafficking from Durg station to Agra station? Has this country become a banana republic?" he asked. "Under the BJP's raj, all minorities are being targeted. Christian nuns and fathers are afraid of wearing their dresses," he said.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CPI(M), Congress attempt to put BJP on the defensive over arrest of Keralite nuns in Chhattisgarh
The ruling front and the Opposition seem to have seized on the arrest of two Keralite nuns on 'questionable charges' of forced conversion and human trafficking in Chhattisgarh last week as part of their larger political gambit to blunt the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to woo the electorally significant Christian community in the State ahead of the local body polls and the Assembly elections. Seemingly stung by widespread criticism from civil society and Church leaders, and chary of losing the ground the party believed it had gained among Christians, the BJP in Kerala dispatched an express delegation headed by State general secretary, Anoop Antony, to Chhattisgarh to secure the early release of the nuns, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeta Mary of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), and ensure an 'unbiased investigation' in the case. 'Fear-inducing' It also seemed not to help the BJP that Deepika, the mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar Church, flagged an alleged dichotomy between the BJP's words and actions, chiefly in BJP-ruled States, wherein Christians allegedly faced severe persecution. Church leaders, including Mar Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), termed the arrest 'unsettling, fear-inducing and unconstitutional'. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State fommittee accused the Chhattisgarh police of siding with Bajrang Dal activists, who falsely accused the nuns of 'smuggling' three women from the Durga railway station in Chhattisgarh to Agra for 'coerced conversion' after an extrajudicial public trial. Of Stan Swamy, Staines The CPI(M) reminded the public about the 'Sangh Parivar-backed custodial murder' of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy and, earlier, the 1989 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and family allegedly at the hands of Bajrang Dal activists in Odisha. The Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said the overzealous arrest of nuns on 'trumped up' charges by the BJP government in Chhattisgarh revealed the actual fascist nature of the party. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who visited the ageing parents of Sister Preeta Mary at Angamaly, portrayed the BJP as a 'wolf in a sheep's clothing'. VHP justifies arrest Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad State general secretary Anil Vilayil justified the arrests. He accused the CBCI of obfuscating the 'facts' of the 'human trafficking' case. He alleged that the women travelling with nuns included an underage tribal community woman.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Attack on nuns a blot on Indian democracy, says CPI Ernakulam district secretary
The arrest of two Keralite nuns on charges of kidnapping, human trafficking, and forced conversion in Chhattisgarh is a blot on democratic India, besides a challenge to the religious freedom accorded by the Constitution, N. Arun, Ernakulam district secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has said. The Kerala government will intervene to ensure the release of the nuns, he said in a communication after visiting the house of Sister Preethi Mary at Elvaoor, Angamaly, on Monday. He alleged that Christians were facing repeated incidents of attacks under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule at the Centre. Fascist forces were deploying a strategy to create a divide between various religious groups to foster their vested interests, he alleged. Mr. Arun alleged that a section of the Church leadership, including in Kerala, had taken a soft stance against the fascist ideals of the Sangh Parivar. They need to re-think on whether they should aid the interests of such forces, he said.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
CPI(M) demands action to address critical staff shortage, infrastructure deficiencies at MGMGH
Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) submitted a petition to the Tiruchi District Collector on Monday, urging immediate action to address critical shortages and infrastructure deficiencies at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH). The petition was accompanied by signatures collected from the public over a month-long campaign. The memorandum was presented during the public grievance redress meeting held at the Collectorate, presided over by Collector V. Saravanan. CPI(M) State Control Committee member S. Sridhar and City District Secretary Govi Vetri Selvam, who led the delegation, stated that MGMGH serves as the primary healthcare destination for patients from Tiruchi and surrounding districts, especially the poor and marginalised. Pointing to staff shortages across various categories — including doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel — the petition highlighted that several sanctioned posts remain vacant. This staffing gap, particularly during night and emergency shifts, has severely impacted patient care. The petition underscored recurring shortages of clean drinking water and inadequate sanitation facilities, all of which had contributed to growing patient hardship. Several district and ward committee members were present during the submission of the petition.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Bihar SIR ‘Exercise in Exclusion', Says Opposition INDIA Bloc
Politics Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the opposition said that the EC must abandon its 'institutional arrogance' and roll back the SIR. New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday (July 27) called the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar an 'exercise in exclusion', demanding that the poll body give up its 'institutional arrogance' and stop the exercise. 'This is an exercise in exclusion. In the whole month, you could not find a single person who had to be included? There are different categories of exclusion, but it is highly surprising that they did not come across a single person who is eligible for inclusion,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. 'Between the summary revision which was conducted in January 2025 and July 2025 SIR, are we to believe that 22 lakh people have died in the last six months?' According to the EC's figures released on Sunday, a total of 65 lakh people have been found to be deceased, permanently shifted or not found, and another seven lakh were found to have registered in multiple places. The commission said that 7.24 crore enumeration forms have been collected at the end of its month-long exercise, which amounts to 91.69% of the total electors in the state. The press conference was addressed by Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Nilotpal Basu. Singhvi questioned the 'institutional arrogance' of the EC and asked why the exercise could not be de-linked from the assembly elections due to be held in November. 'Please rethink your institutional arrogance. Everyone across the country is urging you to roll this back. What was the hurry to conduct this exercise just three months before the elections and link it to the elections? Why could this not be done after the elections? Many mistakes are being made because of this time limit,' he said. Singhvi said that amid questions being raised that the exercise was not one for the purification of electoral rolls but a citizenship verification drive, the EC has now made its stated objective clear. 'Earlier it was not clear, but now it is absolutely clear that this is a citizenship verification exercise by the EC. The Supreme Court's suggestion is as good as an order. If one is to accept the EC's argument that Aadhaar, ration card and EPIC card cannot be accepted, then that only means you want a proof of citizenship. That means your stated objective is to determine citizenship,' he said. Earlier this week, the EC in its affidavit in the Supreme Court said it has the authority to seek proof of citizenship and also turned down the court's suggestion that Aadhaar, voter identity and ration cards be considered as valid documents in its controversial exercise, which has been criticised for its risk of mass disenfranchisement and exclusion. 'Because you have said citizenship cannot be determined by ration card, voter ID card or Aadhaar card. So the question arises, has this right been given to the EC?' said Singhvi. Jha said that the exercise was started without consulting political parties, while 'opacity had become a hallmark' of the EC's functioning. 'When the chief election commissioner [Gyanesh Kumar] took over, he had said emphatically that none of his decisions would be taken without consulting political parties. I think in the last 22 years, there has been no bigger decision than this, but no political party was consulted. On June 24 the exercise was announced and on June 25 it was started," he said. Jha said that reports had shown booth-level officers filling out forms or sitting at a party office and signing forms, as well as instances of forms not being filled duly. 'This is a form of constitutional fraud. If my form can be filled without my sign or fingerprint and submitted, and on the basis of this you call it a cleaning exercise, then sorry to say, opacity has become a hallmark of the functioning of the EC,' he said. The opposition parties demanded that the exercise be stopped, with time still in hand. The Supreme Court meanwhile is slated to continue hearing the petitions challenging the exercise on Monday (July 28). The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
