Durg, Chhattisgarh: A delegation of Opposition Members of Parliament visited Durg Central Jail on Tuesday to meet the Malayali nuns arrested on charges of religious conversion and human trafficking. The delegation, comprising MPs N K Premachandran, Francis George, Benny Behanan, and Saptagiri Ulaka, along with a relative of the nuns named Baiju, claimed that the nuns shared deeply distressing accounts of their arrest and the alleged mistreatment they faced from right-wing activists.

The visit, initially scheduled for a brief 10-minute window, was temporarily revoked on the instructions of the Director General, sparking strong protests from the MPs. Premachandran pointed out the selective treatment, stating that a BJP-led delegation from Kerala had already been granted access to the nuns earlier. Following sustained protests, jail authorities eventually allowed the Opposition MPs to proceed with the meeting.

Speaking to the media after the visit, MP Benny Behanan said the nuns maintained that they had taken the women to the convents with full parental consent and proper documentation, and all the individuals involved were legal adults. He further alleged that Bajrang Dal activists had acted in a deliberately aggressive and indecent manner, using abusive language and attempting physical assault in the presence of the police. The MPs condemned the incident as a targeted and premeditated attack, calling it a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of the individuals involved.