BSP Chief Mayawati slams Uttar Pradesh govt over harassment of Kerala nuns

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government following the alleged harassment of Kerala nuns during their train journey via Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

"In UP, heinous crimes, especially related to the safety of women, are not stopping which is a matter of grave concern. Incidents of female insecurity in Pilibhit and Gonda, police vandalism in Etah and unloading of Kerala's nuns in Jhansi from the train are shameful and condemnable. The government should pay attention," Mayawati's tweeted in Hindi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, too, condemned the incident and said that the attack on nuns was a result of the "vicious propaganda" run by the Sangh Parivar.

In a tweet, Gandhi said, "The attack in UP on nuns from Kerala is a result of the vicious propaganda run by the Sangh Parivar to pitch one community against another and trample the minorities."

He added it is time for the nation to "introspect and take corrective steps to defeat such divisive forces".

On Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to take action against Bajrang Dal members and police officers of Jhansi who allegedly harassed four nuns while they were travelling, by train from New Delhi to Rourkela in Odisha.

Vijayan said that the nuns were forcefully removed from the train by the Jhansi Police without the presence of women police officials and despite nuns showing the Aadhar ID cards, police did not accept those cards, stating that they are fake and kept them at the police station till late night.

"Dear Amit Shah, I would like to bring to your kind attention the reported shocking incident of four nuns including two postulants subjected to harassment by Bajrang Dal members and the police at Jhansi, while they were travelling, by train from New Delhi to Rourkela in Odisha," the letter read.

Vijayan said the two postulants who had recently joined the Sacred Hearts Congregation of the Delhi Province were travelling for the first time to their homes accompanied by two nuns were harassed and intimidated by around 150 Bajrang Dal activists.

"It is also reported that the nuns and the postulants were forcefully removed from the train by the Jhansi police without the presence of women police officials and despite nuns showing the Aadhar ID cards police did not accept those cards staring that they are fake," the Chief Minister stated.

"It was only after the matter was taken up with higher officials and after the intervention of Lucknow IG of police, the nuns and Postulants were released from the police station around 11 PM at night," read the letter.