A Catholic nun-principal of a nursing college in the central Indian Chhattisgarh state has denied as “false and baseless” the charges of trying to convert a female student. Police on April 6 registered a case of “attempted forced conversion” against Sister Bincy Joseph, principal of Holy Cross Nursing College at Kunkuri in the state’s Jashpur district. A police official at Kunkuri police station refused to disclose the case details. “All I can confirm is a case is registered against the nun, and the probe is on,” he told on April 8. The complainant student told the local media that she was barred from taking her final exam of the nursing course and denied entry to the campus for resisting attempts to convert her. In an April 7 statement, the nun said the “student’s allegations are a calculated attempt to defame the institution and cover up her own academic shortcomings.” Joseph, a Sisters of Mercy of Holy Cross member, said the complainant was a general nursing and midwifery student. She had completed a three-year course but skipped the practical sessions, which are mandatory to take the final exam as per the rules framed by the state’s nursing council. “The complainant’s attendance was only 32 percent in practical sessions,” while the guidelines require a student to have 80 percent attendance in theory and practical sessions.