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The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has announced statewide protest gatherings across all 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala on August 3 and 4, in response to the arrest of two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and religious conversion.
The nuns, Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethy Mary, were arrested by police at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh on July 25. Condemning the arrests, CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan said that the party does not view the incident as an isolated one, but as a serious attack on fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. "The Party does not see this as an isolated issue concerning just a few individuals. What is at stake are the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, including freedom of religion, freedom of movement, and other civil liberties, which are now being openly challenged," Govindan said. He said the LDF would organise protest gatherings across Kerala's 140 constituencies on August 3 and 4 to defend the Constitution and civil liberties. "The shocking visuals of Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar members confronting nuns while the police stood by silently have been seen by the entire world. To expose such dangerous and unconstitutional actions and to defend the rights of the Indian people, the LDF will organise protest gatherings across all 140 constituencies in Kerala on August 3 and 4," he said. Earlier on July 1, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday wrote a letter to Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai over the arrest of two Kerala nuns, saying "religious persecution" of any kind has no place in a democratic and secular nation. The CM Sangma condemned the arrest and demanded the withdrawal of the "false case. "The nuns from Kerala, Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethy Mary, were arrested at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh on July 25 for allegedly being involved in forceful conversion and human trafficking. In his letter, Sangma wrote, "Religious persecution of any kind has no place in a democratic and secular nation like India." He added that such "baseless accusations" not only put the lives and freedoms of innocent individuals at risk but also "reflect a worrying pattern of religious targeting." (ANI)
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