A silent protest rally was held in Belagavi on Friday evening, where hundreds from the Christian community demanded the immediate release of two Kerala-based Catholic nuns and a tribal youth arrested recently in Chhattisgarh under contentious circumstances.
The rally, organised by the Catholic Association of Belgaum along with other Christian groups, was led by Bishop Rev Dr Derek Fernandes. Nearly 400 people, including priests, nuns, seminarians, and laypersons, assembled at the DC Compound at 4:40 pm. The peaceful procession ended at the zilla panchayat CEO’s office, where a memorandum was submitted to Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan. It was addressed to the President of India, the Prime Minister, and the Karnataka Chief Minister.
The memorandum described the arrests at Durg Railway Station on July 25 under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act (1968), which deals with alleged forced conversions. The nuns and the youth had accompanied three tribal women, aged 18–19, from Narayanpur to Agra for nursing jobs. The women had valid identification and parental consent.
According to the memorandum, a right-wing activist’s false claims of forced conversion triggered a mob protest, resulting in the arrests, which were allegedly politically and communally motivated. Subsequent investigations and family statements confirmed the women had travelled of their own accord.
During the rally, Bishop Derek Fernandes condemned the arrests as “unjust and baseless,” asserting that the Catholic community does not engage in forced conversions. He also denounced the assault on the nuns and raised concerns over increasing communal tensions. “We seek the immediate release of the innocent and an end to such targeted persecution. The government must safeguard minority rights and uphold secularism,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan, after receiving the memorandum, assured that appropriate steps would be taken. Among those present were Rev Fr Philip Kutty, Rev Nooroddin Mulla, Clara Fernandes, Louis Rodrigues, Fr Pramod Kumar, Sr Pastor Ankalgi, and Sister Lourdes Joseph.
