New Delhi [India], July 30 (ANI): The Congress on Wednesday staged a protest against the arrest of two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh, at Parliament's Makar Dwar, and demanded their release. The party leaders have alleged that the nuns were ill-treated by authorities, falsely accused.

The nuns were arrested on charges of human trafficking and religious conversion on July 25 in Chhattisgarh's Durg Railway station.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also joined the protest in which MPs held placards stating 'release the nuns, arrest the goons'

'Some nuns from Kerala were very badly ill-treated, they were accused of things they were not doing, manhandled and taken away by police in Chhattisgarh. Two-three ladies, along with a bunch of ladies should not be manhandled and treated like this, and you cannot accuse people of things they are not doing,' Priyanka Gandhi told reporters at Parliament premises.

Hitting out at the state government, she alleged that they only care about PR and publicity for elections, while not taking any concrete action against the perpetrators.

'The government doesn't take action on action on anything except their PR, their publicity or when elections are coming what face they want to show. They do not take action on anything concrete. I don't expect action but it is our job to push them and pressurise them as much as we can,' she added.

On July 28, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai termed the alleged harassment and arrest of Kerala nuns as a 'serious matter related to women's safety.'

In an 'X' post, the Chhattisgarh CM stated that three girls from Narayanpur were promised nursing training and subsequently handed over to two nuns at the Durg station by a person from the Narayanpur district. He stated that these girls were being taken to Agra and through an inducement, an attempt was made to engage them in human trafficking.

On July 30, Bhupesh Bhagel also mentioned that the party has raised the issue in Lok Sabha and has written to the CM too.

A fiv- member delegation led by Congress MP Francis George visited the Durg Central Jail to meet the nuns.

On July 27, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) also strongly condemned the alleged incident, claiming that, according to reports, the women had explicit written permission from their parents but were physically assaulted. (ANI)