Protest in Kerala demands release of jailed Nuns in Chhattisgarh
Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of people marched towards the official residence of the Kerala Governor in protest against the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, demanding the immediate release of two Kerala-based nuns currently imprisoned in the state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the protest was led by Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Demonstrators, including bishops, priests, nuns, and a large number of people from various churches across the state, wore black cloths over their mouths as a symbol of silent dissent.
“We have assembled here because two of our nuns are in jail despite having done nothing wrong. The compassion and empathy they bring to their work across the country is well known. It is deeply unfortunate that they remain behind bars,” said Mar Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
He added, “It has been six days since the nuns were arrested. Even Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar has acknowledged that they committed no crime—what more testimony is needed?” The remark was met with loud applause from the crowd.
Cardinal Cleemis further questioned the allegations of forced conversions: “If such claims were true, why does the Christian population in India still stand at just 2.4 percent, even after 2,000 years? The figure has remained unchanged since Independence.”
Earlier in the day, the two nuns currently lodged in Durg Jail, Chhattisgarh, suffered a legal setback when a Sessions Court rejected their bail plea, directing them to approach the NIA-designated bench at the Chhattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur.
