Citizens for the Constitution (CFTC) Statement on Recent Incidents of Harassment and Targeting of Religious Minorities
Irfan Engineer
Citizens for the Constitution (CFTC) Statement on Recent Incidents of Harassment and Targeting of Religious Minorities
Citizens for the Constitution (CFTC) strongly condemns the arrest and continued judicial custody of two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Sister Preety Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, by the Chhattisgarh Police in Durg on 25th July. The trio has been falsely accused of “forcible conversion” and human trafficking involving three women from Narayanpur. An FIR has been filed against them under provisions of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, reportedly based on a tip-off by a Bajrang Dal member—a Hindu right-wing organization.
Alarmingly, one of the women allegedly trafficked has revealed that she was coerced into making a false statement implicating the nuns, under pressure from Jyoti Sharma, a member of the Durga Vahini. In reality, all three women were already Christians and were traveling for a job offered by the nuns with the consent of their families, and there is no evidence of force or coercion. This disturbing incident underscores a growing pattern where the state appears to be complicit with Hindu right-wing vigilante groups in targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
This case must also be viewed in the broader context of increasing state-backed campaigns aimed at the identification and eviction of so-called “illegal Bangladeshi migrants.” In Gurugram, Haryana, and Delhi, the administration of these states have launched a drive to identify undocumented migrants—specifically targeting Indian Bengali-speaking labourers from the states of West Bengal and Assam—accusing them of being Bangladeshi or Rohingya. Even though there is no reason to suspect their nationality, and despite possessing multiple valid documents proving their Indian citizenship, like Aadhaar cards, many of these labourers have been arbitrarily and illegally detained, interrogated, beaten severely and harassed. The purported police come in plain clothes and in vehicles without registration number plates and even extort money from the poor labourers. As a result, hundreds of families have fled from Delhi and Haryana in fear and insecurity.
Adding to this growing concern is the horrific mob attack on a Muslim family in Pune on the night of 26th July. The attackers, reportedly affiliated with a Hindu right-wing group, falsely accused the family of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Shockingly, the family has a proud history of serving the Indian Armed Forces, including a relative who is a Kargil war veteran. Instead of taking swift action against the perpetrators, the police summoned the family for verification, once again acting on an unverified tip-off. This represents yet another instance where law enforcement appears to be enabling the intimidation of Muslims through baseless accusations and collusion with vigilante groups.
There is a common pattern in all these instances – Right-wing cadres randomly and arbitrarily accuse Muslims and Christians to be illegal immigrants or illegal conversions without any ground to do so, only because of their faith. They are often accompanied by the police, and in presence of police beat them. The police arrests them, and slaps false charges.
These incidents strike at the heart of India’s constitutional values and democratic institutions. The rule of law is being systematically undermined, and the principles of equality, liberty, and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution are being eroded by the unchecked power of majoritarian vigilante groups acting with state support or complicity.
CFTC demands immediate accountability. We urge the Prime Minister and the concerned state governments to take cognizance of these grave violations and halt the ongoing harassment, witch-hunting, and intimidation of Indian citizens in the name of religion or citizenship. The state must uphold its constitutional responsibility and take legal action against those inciting hatred and fear. It is imperative that justice is served, and the targeting of minorities under the false pretext of conversion or illegal immigration is brought to an end.
In the interest of justice and rule of law, we urge the Delhi High Court, Haryana High Court, the Supreme Court of India, the National Commission of Minorities, and the National Human Rights Commission to take cognizance of this systematic violation of human rights of minorities and issue summons to the police and hold them accountable.
Dr. Ram Puniyani
Adv. Irfan Engineer
Neha Dabhade
Pastor Devdan D. Tribhuvan
Stanley Fernandez
Adv. Lara Jesani
Urmi Chanda
Shweta Damle
Mayur Yewle
Irfan Engineer
arrested in Durg, Chhattisgarh, on false charges of human trafficking and religious conversion levelled without any basis whatsoever by Bajrang Dal and illegally arrested by the police have obtained bail from the High Court!