The Overton window, a concept introduced by political scientist Joseph Overton, describes the range of ideas deemed acceptable within public discourse at any given time. It serves as a framework for understanding how societal norms, political rhetoric, and media narratives shape what is considered permissible or taboo. Ideas within the window are seen as mainstream, while those outside it are often labeled radical, extreme, or unthinkable. The window is not static; it shifts through cultural changes, political activism, or deliberate manipulation, often influenced by those in power to control narratives and public perception.
In recent years, India has witnessed a narrowing of the Overton window concerning issues of religion, caste, and tribal identity, particularly in states like Chhattisgarh, where communal tensions and political polarization have intensified. A poignant example of how this shifting window can ensnare innocent individuals is the case of two Catholic nuns, Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, arrested in Chhattisgarh in July 2025. Their story illustrates how marginalized groups can become victims of a manipulated narrative, where actions once considered benign are reframed as criminal within a constricted Overton window.
The Arrest of the Sisters: A Case of Misrepresentation
On July 25, 2025, Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), were arrested at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh, alongside a tribal man, Sukhman Mandavi. They were accompanying three young tribal women, aged 18 to 19, from Narayanpur to Agra, where the women were to take up domestic work at a convent. The arrests followed a complaint by a Bajrang Dal activist, Jyoti Sharma, who alleged that the nuns were forcibly converting the women to Christianity and engaging in human trafficking. The trio was charged under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, and Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for trafficking.
However, the families of the three women refuted these allegations, stating that their daughters had willingly accompanied the nuns for employment opportunities. One woman’s elder sister told India Today, “Our parents are no longer alive. I sent my sister with the nuns so she could take up a nursing job in Agra. I worked with them earlier in Lucknow. This opportunity would help her become self-reliant.” Another relative confirmed that their family had converted to Christianity five years prior and that the woman left voluntarily on July 24. Written declarations submitted to the police on July 26 further corroborated that the families had consented to the arrangement.
Despite this evidence, the nuns faced public humiliation and arrest, with videos showing Bajrang Dal members harassing them at the station while police stood by. One of the women later told The Indian Express that she was coerced and assaulted by Sharma to change her statement, alleging that the police based their FIR solely on the Bajrang Dal’s claims.
The Overton Window in Chhattisgarh: A Shrinking Space for Minorities
This incident reflects a broader shift in Chhattisgarh’s Overton window, where actions involving religious minorities, particularly Christians, are increasingly scrutinized and criminalized. Historically, Christian missionaries have operated in tribal areas, providing education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, often with community consent. Such activities were once within the Overton window, viewed as charitable or socially beneficial. However, in recent years, narratives of “forced conversion” and “anti-national” activities have gained traction, pushed by right-wing groups and amplified by political rhetoric.
The Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, originally enacted in 1968 but strengthened in recent amendments, exemplifies this shift. It criminalizes conversions deemed to be through “force, fraud, or inducement,” a vague definition that allows for subjective interpretation. The Bajrang Dal’s complaint against the nuns leveraged this law, framing a consensual job opportunity as “trafficking” and “conversion.” This reframing aligns with a narrative that paints Christian missionaries as threats to Hindu identity, a notion that has moved from the fringes to the mainstream in Chhattisgarh’s public discourse.
The state’s Chief Minister, Vishnu Deo Sai, further reinforced this narrative by publicly backing the arrests, stating that the case involved “human trafficking and conversion through inducement.” Such statements from high-ranking officials signal a contraction of the Overton window, where even consensual interactions between Christians and tribals are now suspect. The police’s inaction during the nuns’ public harassment and their reliance on the Bajrang Dal’s complaint suggest institutional complicity in this narrowed framework.
Victims of a Manipulated Narrative
Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis are victims of this shifting Overton window. Their actions—escorting tribal women for employment with family consent—were routine within their congregation’s mission of service. Nithya Francis, the Madhya Pradesh provincial general of ASMI, noted that the nuns had never faced such accusations in their years of work. Yet, in the current climate, their religious identity and association with tribal women were enough to cast them as criminals.
The nuns’ ordeal also highlights the vulnerability of marginalized groups within a constricted Overton window. As Christians in a Hindu-majority state, they are easy targets for accusations that resonate with the dominant narrative. The tribal women, too, are victims, caught between their aspirations for better livelihoods and the communal suspicions that now surround such opportunities. The coercion one woman faced to alter her statement underscores how external forces exploit these narratives to suppress agency and perpetuate division.
Political and Social Ramifications
The arrests sparked protests in Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and Delhi, with Christian organizations and political leaders from Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) condemning the incident. In Kerala, where the BJP has been courting Christian voters, the party’s state president, K. Surendran (referred to as Chandrasekhar in some reports), distanced the BJP from the Bajrang Dal, calling the arrests a “misunderstanding” due to a procedural lapse in registering the women’s travel under the Chhattisgarh Private Placement Agencies Rules, 2014. This response suggests an awareness that the incident risks alienating Christian communities, revealing the tension between local communal narratives and broader political strategies.
The case also underscores the role of non-state actors like the Bajrang Dal in policing the Overton window. By framing the nuns’ actions as criminal, they not only targeted individuals but also reinforced a narrative that restricts the space for religious minorities to operate. The police’s acquiescence to their complaint, despite contradictory evidence, illustrates how such groups can influence state mechanisms to enforce a narrowed window of acceptability.
A Call for Reclaiming the Window
The plight of Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis is a stark reminder of how the Overton window can be weaponized to marginalize and criminalize. Their case is not isolated but part of a broader trend in India, where laws and narratives are increasingly used to target minorities, tribals, and those who challenge the dominant ideology. To counter this, civil society, media, and political leaders must work to expand the Overton window, advocating for a discourse that values pluralism, consent, and individual agency.
For the nuns, justice requires not only their release but also accountability for those who coerced false statements and perpetuated baseless allegations. For Chhattisgarh’s tribal communities, it demands a rejection of narratives that cast their aspirations as threats. Only by challenging the contraction of the Overton window can India reclaim a public sphere where service, compassion, and opportunity are not mistaken for crimes.
