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Reacting to the arrest of the two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh on charges of trafficking and religious conversion, Vishwa Hindu Parishad General Secretary Surendra Jain on Wednesday urged the central government to bring a law to ban religious conversions.
Speaking to ANI, Jain alleged that human trafficking charges had been levelled against the church and that "illegal conversion" must be stopped. "This is not the first time these allegations have been made...Allegations like human trafficking have been levelled against the church for a long time. This is very unfortunate. They should not be supported. The illegal business they are operating under the guise of a service should be stopped...We appeal to the central government, noting that the law (anti-conversion law) is in place in some states, but its network is extensive and nationwide. Hence, a nationwide law is needed. A central law should be brought to ban conversions," Jain told ANI. He further claimed that an "anti-Hindu ecosystem" became active after the arrest and criticised the Congress for opposing it. "...It was found that they were involved in the illegal business of human trafficking and illegal conversion. As soon as the nuns were arrested and the investigation started, the anti-Hindu ecosystem immediately became active. The anti-Hindu ecosystem became active and Rahul Gandhi immediately became active... if there is something wrong here, the Congress should not protest, but if they keep protesting, it definitely means there is something wrong...." he said. Earlier in the day, Major Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, denied allegations of forced conversion, saying the alleged victims were already Christians. "The alleged victims were already Christians and hence there was no question of conversion," Cleemis told reporters. Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty also met Archbishop Cleemis and assured him of all possible assistance from the State government. "The Minister for Education of Kerala met us and assured that everything will be done to protect the sisters who have been arrested... As the situation takes a new step ahead, the bail is rejected, and we do not know what motivates these people to act in such a way," Cleemis said. (ANI)
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