Chhattisgarh Women Commission urges FIRs against Bajrang Dal workers over assault allegations

Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh State Women’s Commission wrote to Director General of Police Arun Deo Gautam, urging the registration of separate FIRs following complaints from three women in Narayanpur who alleged they were assaulted and molested by Bajrang Dal workers at Durg railway station in July, officials said, on Thursday.

The women were reportedly victims of an alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion case that had led to the arrest of two nuns from Kerala and a tribal man. “When police did not lodge FIR on their complaints, the three women had approached us alleging three Bajrang Dal workers at Durg railway station had physically assaulted, verbally abused, and molested them, and also used caste-based slurs,” said Chhattisgarh State Women’s Commission chairperson Kiranmayee Nayak.

Nayak added that despite three hearings, the respondents failed to appear before the Commission, even after notices were served. “The Durg Superintendent of Police has shown continued negligence in ensuring their presence before the Commission,” she said. While the Durg SP claimed the GRP police station falls under the Divisional Railway Manager’s jurisdiction, the DRM’s office said the station comes under state police control.

The Commission also raised concerns over CCTV evidence, noting that only footage from a single gate was provided, which raised suspicions of evidence suppression. It has now directed the DGP to register separate FIRs for all three complainants within 15 days and submit a report to the Commission in the same period. Nayak warned that if the DGP fails to comply, the Commission will approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to seek compensation for the victims.

The arrests of two Catholic nuns, Preethi Mary (55) and Vandana Francis (53) from Kerala, along with a tribal man, Sukhman Mandavi, at Durg railway station on 25 July, followed allegations by a local Bajrang Dal functionary that the trio had forcibly converted the three women from Narayanpur and trafficked them. The incident sparked a political row, with the Congress and CPI(M) criticising the police action and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accusing them of politicising the matter.

One of the women later claimed she was coerced and assaulted by Bajrang Dal activists to provide a false statement, allegations denied by the right-wing group. According to their lawyer, Phool Singh Kachalam, the three women, Sukhmati Mandavi, Lalita Usendi, and Kamleshwari Pradhan, aged 19–21, were intercepted at Durg railway station on July 25 while heading to Agra for work. They alleged that Jyoti Sharma, Ravi Nigam, Ratan Yadav, and other individuals took them to the Durg GRP station, where they were assaulted, molested, and subjected to caste-based abuse.

Jyoti Sharma, who identifies herself as a Bajrang Dal activist, denied the allegations. The two nuns and the tribal man were granted bail by a special court in Bilaspur on August 2 and released from Durg jail.

PTI inputs