Chhattisgarh police, probing a nursing student's complaint of forced religious conversion against Malayali nun Sister Bincy Joseph, the Principal of Holy Cross College of Nursing, Kunkuri, will issue summons to Sr Bincy to appear for questioning today.
Shashi Mohan Singh, SP, Jashpur, told Onmanorama that the complainant's statement will also be recorded."A case has been registered. We are collecting evidence and proceeding accordingly. A summons will be issued to Bincy Joseph today," said Singh.
The nursing college administration, which has been caught in a vortex of protests after a case was registered against Sr Bincy, has filed a complaint at the Kunkuri police station alleging that the student threatened the college authorities. The administration has also moved the court with a plea for anticipatory bail.
The third-year General Nursing student filed a complaint against Sr Bincy with the District Collector, Jashpur, Office of the Superintendent of Police, Jashpur. Kunkuri police registered a case, terming it sensitive, and slapped charges of forced religious conversion, an act to outrage the student's religious feelings, and criminal intimidation against Sr Bincy.
The college authorities said Sr Bincy was out of station. Sr Reema Mathew, the college's administrator, said that this was the first time such a complaint had been levelled against the college. "We have many non-Christian students studying here. Even earlier, we had students from other communities. Nobody had ever raised any complaints. We are taking all legal measures," said Sr Reema.
Father Shyju Thomas, counsel of the administration, said that a case has been filed against the student and an anticipatory bail plea is being moved. "We are facing protests in the wake of this complaint. We are proceeding legally. The student who filed the complaint had failed to meet the mandatory requirements to attend the examination," said Fr Shyju. He said that they have received a communication from the District Collector following the complaint filed by the student, and till now, they haven't received any call from the police.
The Holy Cross Nursing College authorities have termed the student's allegations baseless and that the complaint was filed to defame the institution and its leadership.
According to the complaint, the principal forced the student to convert to Christianity, and when she refused, she faced harassment. It was also alleged that the student was prevented from appearing in the final examination and denied entry to the college premises. Citing records, the college authorities have said that the student’s attendance has been extremely poor.
"She remained absent from practical examinations, and she failed to complete mandatory assignments. On January 15, 2025, the student submitted an affidavit promising to complete all her pending assignments, but she did not fulfill this commitment despite repeated reminders. The student levelled the allegations to conceal her academic shortcomings," according to the statement of the college administration.
Abhinand Xalco, spokesperson of the college and chairperson of the Catholic Society, said the student had attended only 32 per cent of her classes, falling short of the mandatory 75 per cent attendance requirement. Although she was allowed to sit for her theory exams, she was subsequently asked to attend additional classes to compensate for her low attendance.
The cases related to forced conversions are currently dealt according to the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968. The BJP-led government in the state has mooted a new anti-conversion law with more stringent provisions. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma recently told the state assembly that 27 cases related to illegal conversion have been registered in the state in the past six years. In 2025 alone, four cases have been registered.
