Two Catholic nuns were detained by authorities in central India over allegations of human trafficking, prompting strong reactions from Church leaders who decried the incident as part of a growing trend of hostility toward religious minorities.
According to a report by Crux, the incident occurred on July 25 at the Durg Railway Station in the state of Chhattisgarh, where Government Railway Police (GRP) detained Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Green Garden Sisters. The nuns were accompanying three young women and one adult tribal man, reportedly on route from Narayanpur in the Diocese of Jagdalpur to Agra in Uttar Pradesh, where the women had been offered employment at a Catholic-run hospital.
The three girls, aged 19 to 22, had reportedly traveled with full parental consent, including written authorization and identification documents. However, they were stopped by a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) for not having platform tickets. Upon questioning, the young women said they were travelling to work under the care of the nuns.
The TTE alerted local members of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist youth group affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Members of the group arrived at the station and began accusing the sisters of attempting to forcibly convert the girls to Christianity, despite the girls’ own statements affirming they were already Christian.
The nuns and the four individuals were subsequently removed from the train and taken to the local police station for questioning. The three young women are currently in the custody of the Women Welfare Committee in Durg.
Chhattisgarh, a state of around 30 million people, is more than 93 percent Hindu, with Christians comprising less than 2 percent of the population. The region has seen increasing instances of intimidation and violence against Christian communities in recent years.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, retired Archbishop of Bombay and former Archbishop of Agra, expressed dismay over the incident in comments to Crux.
“I feel sorry that these types of incidents are on the rise,” the cardinal said. “Our mission is being misunderstood. I feel sympathy for the nuns and am confident that they were not doing anything unlawful.”
He further emphasized the need for due legal process: “They should not be harassed. There are proper ways of interrogation and procedures for investigation. This brings a very bad name to our country. We are a law-abiding country, and these incidents show us in a poor light.”
Cardinal Gracias also defended the reputation of the sisters involved: “I know these nuns from Agra. They are doing yeoman service for society. I am sure that their intentions were very good. We don’t know what has been communicated.”
Condemning the treatment of the nuns, he added, “This was an aggression on women … our women religious were heckled, disrespected and harassed. This is not the way to treat women. Such incidents tarnish the image of the nation.”
This incident comes amid increasing concern over violence against Christians in India. According to the United Christian Forum (UCF), 378 incidents were recorded in the first half of 2025 alone, an average of two attacks per day. UCF Convenor A.C. Michael noted the sharp rise in anti-Christian incidents over the years, from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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