'They ask us when they will be free', agonising wait for families of Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh prison

It's been more than a week since two Kerala nuns, Vandana Francis and Preethy Mary, were jailed in Chhattisgarh on charges of alleged human trafficking and conversion. A political storm has erupted over their arrest. Other nuns and relatives go through days with a sense of dread and anguish.

Joseph Mathew, brother of Vandana Francis, remains outside the Durg Central Jail, mostly. He didn't go inside on Friday. There were reports that the nuns would be released on bail; however, the NIA court in Bilaspur reserved the verdict for Saturday. Mathew doesn't want to leave Durg until his sister is freed.

The last time he saw his sister was on July 30. She didn’t say much, not wanting to cause him worry, but he knew that his sister, over 60 years old, must be suffering inside. Their ailing mother was informed about Sr Vandana’s arrest only three days ago. With visitors coming and going from the house, the family could no longer keep it from her.

"Our whole family is in despair. She was just trying to help two or three girls. They had all the documents, Aadhaar cards and consent letters from their parents. They came in their holy garments. If there was any bad intention, why would they do that? Joseph asked. When Onmanorama contacted him, he was attending a prayer service at the St Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Durg, held for the nun’s release.

"The Church is taking care of the legal proceedings, but she’s my sister. I can’t go home. I’ll stay here until she’s released. I need to see her, only then will I return," he added. Joseph, a retired teacher, was accompanied to Durg by his younger brother, who returned home two days earlier. “Before the arrest, when she used to call, she would mention some minor issues while working, but she never elaborated, she didn’t want to worry us. We were saddened when the case was transferred to the NIA Court. It reminded us of Fr Stan Swamy’s case,"Joseph said. Sister Preethy Mary’s relatives are also in Durg.

Nuns who had worked with Vandana Francis and Preethy Mary were rattled when they met them inside the prison. "I met them on Monday. They asked us when they would be freed. Since they know they are innocent, they believe they’ll be released in two to three days," said Sister Nitya, the Provincial Superior of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI) Bhopal province, to which the arrested nuns belong. “We gave them clothes. They’ve adjusted to the food there. Political leaders collected their medicines from us and promised to deliver them," said Sister Nitya.

She added that Sister Preethy has arthritis and needs medication. "Their only difficulty is that they cannot sleep well, the lights are always on, and the space is cramped. They can’t sit for long periods. But they’re trying to adjust".

They have always endured travails associated with their work, but to see one of them being jailed has caused distress. "While working here, we do face restrictions, especially while travelling. There are around 196 sisters in this province. But we will continue our service, we will not be swayed by this," she added.

Fr Sabu Joseph, Parish priest at Sector 6 Catholic Church, Bhilai, who was one of the first to reach the railway station where the nuns were held, said that police had initially delayed registering an FIR. "The party members persisted. They threatened to take matters into their own hands if no case was filed. When I reached the station, the sisters were sitting there, visibly upset. The girls were crying; they were harassed too,” recalled Fr Sabu Joseph.

The ASMI sisters’ congregation has four provinces—in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The arrested nuns belong to the Bhopal province. “In this line of service, we often go through tough situations, but we do not react. That’s not what we’re taught. We follow the love and patience of Jesus Christ. We’ve been serving in North India for the past 60 years, but nothing of this scale has ever happened before,” says Sister Beena, Secretary at ASMI Cherthala.

A priest associated with the Jagdalpur diocese, who requested to remain anonymous, fearing backlash, said that the missionary work among the tribal communities is often viewed with suspicion. He alleged that a defined political agenda drove organisations aligned with the Sangh Parivar and they were at the forefront of these attacks. "They see the tribal communities merely as vote banks. They want them to remain uneducated. If they are educated, these communities will begin to understand their political motives. It will derail the religious-political narrative these groups are trying to endorse," the priest said.

He added that communities in the remote parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh live in poor conditions, where even a full meal is a luxury. "Most days, it's just rice and dal and sometimes only rice with salt. We share what little we have with the children. We live in these difficult conditions to serve, and yet we're accused of forcible religious conversion," he said.

"Religious conversion is a legal process. Individuals must register with the District Collector and provide full consent. There's no scope for secrecy or coercion," he said. The arrest of the nuns and the media attention it drew have only brought a longstanding issue into the spotlight. "If they're granted bail, the Bajrang Dal will appear like goons and they won't allow that. They want to show their strength," he said.