Nuns’ Arrest in Chhattisgarh Casts Shadow on BJP’s Christian Outreach in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The arrest of two Malayali Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, has dealt a serious blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) efforts to court the Christian community in Kerala ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections.

Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeta Mary, members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, were taken into custody at the Durg railway station on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The arrest came following protests by Bajrang Dal activists, who alleged the nuns were escorting two young women to Agra without parental consent.

The nuns remain in judicial custody as legal proceedings continue. The incident has sparked widespread outrage in Kerala, not only from the Christian community but also from the political opposition, with both the CPI(M) and Congress lambasting the BJP.

Local media footage showing a right-wing woman activist publicly abusing the nuns further fueled the outrage. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) condemned the incident, calling it a “deliberate frame-up orchestrated by Hindutva elements.” The CBCI also clarified that the nuns were in possession of consent letters from the parents and that both girls were above 18 years of age.

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Church leaders have warned that this is not an isolated case but part of an increasing pattern of attacks on Christian institutions in northern India, posing a serious threat to religious freedom and India’s secular fabric.

Political observers note that the incident could severely damage the BJP’s long-term strategy to woo Kerala’s Christian voters, especially the influential Syrian Catholic community in central Kerala. The BJP had been working to build trust among Christian groups in recent years in an attempt to overcome the state’s demographic disadvantage, where minorities form nearly 50% of the population.

In a bid to manage the crisis, the BJP has dispatched one of its vice presidents—himself a Christian leader—to Chhattisgarh to engage with the state leadership and possibly mediate an amicable resolution. However, state BJP leaders in Kerala have remained tight-lipped, refusing to make public statements.

When approached for comment, Union Minister George Kurian, BJP’s most prominent Christian face, declined to speak, citing the matter’s sub judice status.

State BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who took charge a few months ago, has attempted to distance the party from its hardline image, positioning it instead as an inclusive, development-focused alternative. He has repeatedly emphasised that Kerala’s economic and administrative stagnation stems from the CPI(M) and Congress’s over-politicisation of governance.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP’s principal strategist, has urged the Kerala unit to refine its electoral approach and deepen community outreach. Despite building substantial organisational strength in recent years, the BJP has struggled to convert this into significant electoral gains.

The unfolding developments in Chhattisgarh now risk derailing the party’s Christian outreach project in Kerala—one of its most calculated and sensitive political missions in the state.

The eventual political fallout will depend on how the Chhattisgarh government, the courts, and the BJP’s central leadership respond in the coming weeks, and whether they can restore the shaken confidence of the Christian community in Kerala.