The delegation was, however, permitted to meet the nuns tomorrow after the protest.”The initial refusal to allow political leaders and elected representatives of the people to visit and assess the condition of those detained further underscores the state’s disturbing disregard for due process and human rights,” the CPI(M) said.”Such actions are a direct affront to democratic principles, aimed to stifle inquiry and silence voices of dissent. It underscores the authoritarian character of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and states,” it said.The CPI(M) said the charges levelled against the nuns were without merit and constituted a gross violation of their fundamental rights.”The arrest of the nuns is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of undermining religious freedom and harassing minority communities,” the party said.”There is a pattern in this arrest, done at the behest of the Bajrang Dal. The right to practice one’s faith freely and peacefully, as enshrined in our Constitution, must be protected at all costs,” it added.According to reports, two Kerala-based nuns were arrested in Chhattisgarh on allegations of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by Bajrang Dal activists.Their arrest has triggered a political slugfest, with opposition leaders slamming the incident as an attack on Christians.Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accused the opposition parties on Monday of politicising the issue, saying he was concerned about the safety of “our daughters from Bastar.”However, the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) virtually rejected Sai’s statements on Tuesday, saying the nuns were not involved in any human trafficking or forced conversion attempts.
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