3 pastors, 2 others arrested on ‘conversion’ charge in India
Police raid their prayer service on the nation’s Independence Day at a village in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Five people including three pastors were arrested and released on bail in a northern Indian state for allegedly luring people to convert to Christianity. Police in Uttar Pradesh on Aug. 15 filed a complaint of alleged conversion activities against 37 people including 19 women in Rajjupur village in Jaunpur district. The arrested five were produced before a sub-divisional magistrate who granted them bail the same evening. “The Christian community was holding a prayer service on the occasion of Independence Day in the Dalit colony of Rajjupur when a police force came and arrested five people,” Pastor Dinesh Kumar told UCA News on Aug. 18. The pastor said organizing Christian prayer services on Sundays and special days was nothing new in the village. “We do not disturb anybody in the locality and there were no objections from villagers so far. The sudden police raid has shocked our people,” he said. Pastor Kumar said the community was aware of who filed the false complaint with the police but “we have nothing against anyone and want to live here peacefully.” He recalled that the police along with some hardline Hindu activists had barged
On Indian Independence Day, bishops reiterate Christians’ patriotism
As India celebrated its 77th Independence Day marking freedom from colonial British rule on Aug. 15, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) asserted the patriotism of Christians and called for “resolving internal challenges with empathy, understanding, and unity.” “India’s journey to freedom was not solely forged on the battlefield but also through unwavering determination, sacrifices, and visionary leadership from those of diverse backgrounds, including the Christian community,” the CBCI said in a press release. Though British imperialism spread in India when the East India Company began trading there in the 17th century, the British Parliament took total control over the Indian subcontinent in 1858. Following the massive freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi — the prophet of nonviolence — the British ended their rule over the Indian subcontinent in August 1947, dividing it into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Hindu nationalist outlets, under the influence of the ruling BJP (the Bharatiya Janata Party, one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress), have called into question the patriotism of India’s 34 million Christians. The CBCI statement addressed the charge, saying: “Christian freedom fighters left an indelible mark on India’s history. Their dedication and sacrifices serve as a poignant reminder
Complaint Lodged Against Christian Preachers For Allegedly Exploiting Manipur Crisis To Fan Communal Hatred
In a recent development, a formal complaint has been registered against Christian preachers in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by Legal Rights activist, Legal Rights Protection Forum, accusing them of engaging in anti-national activities and enabling religious conversions. The complaint, which was addressed to the Union Home Ministry authorities, raises concerns about various incidents, including activities on national holidays and alleged involvement in the Manipur crisis. The complaint draws attention to the deliberate organization of special Christian worship programs in numerous churches across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on significant national holidays such as August 15th and January 26th. It contends that certain churches are purportedly conducting full-day prayers, camps, and youth retreats on these days with what the complainants term a “malicious intention” of diverting citizens’ focus away from the celebration of Independence Day. The complainants claim that some posters advertising these August 15th programs allegedly display disrespect to the national flag through alterations and religious inscriptions upon it. Furthermore, the complainants argue that hate-filled speeches have been delivered during these events, targeting freedom fighters and portraying them as “hell-bound disbelievers” due to their supposed lack of faith in Jesus Christ. The complainants assert that these activities are aimed at
NCPCR moves SC against bail for archbishop & nun in MP ‘conversion of children’ case
SC bench agrees to hear matter again in 2 weeks, declines to stay anticipatory bail granted to an archbishop & a nun by HC on ground that NCPCR had no locus standi in the case. New Delhi: Challenging the anticipatory bail granted to an archbishop and a nun booked for alleged forceful conversions of children at a shelter home in Madhya Pradesh, the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has moved the Supreme Court, asserting its authority to lodge a complaint in the case. Agreeing to hear the matter again in two weeks, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud Monday, however, declined to put a stay on the anticipatory bail granted to Archbishop Jerald Alameda and sister Liji Joseph by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, in the case registered under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021. The Act prohibits religious conversion by “misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat or force, undue influence, coercion or marriage”. According to court documents in ThePrint’s possession, an FIR was registered against Almeda and Joseph in Madhya Pradesh on 30 May, based on a complaint by NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, following his visit to the children’s shelter home run by the Asha Kiran
Contribution of Odia Christians in Indian Independence Movement
By Barendra Kumar and Prime Abhilas Quite a few articles have been published to elucidate the role of Indian Christians in Indian Freedom movement . However, there is very less information in public domain about the role of Christians from Odisha in the Indian Freedom struggle. From ‘Utkal Gaurav’ Madhusudan Das, Sailabala Das, Lal Mohan Patnaik, to ‘Rai Bahadur’ Samuel Das, Lakhma Jee Jachuck, Rajkishore Mohanty, there are numerous such Freedom Fighters from Odisha’s Christian community, who played an active role in India’s Freedom Movement. Information about all of them has been mentioned in the book *ODIA CHRISTIAN LUMINARIES* that has been authored by Barendra Kumar and Prime Abhilas and published by Unicorn Books, Delhi. *Lakhma Jee Jachuck* was a Freedom Fighter from the Christian community of Odisha. He was born in 1871. He was popularly known as ‘Muni Aja’. After India gained independence, Lakhma Jee Jachuck was given the honour of hoisting the National Flag for the 1st ever time in Cuttack at the residence of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. *Rajkishore Mohanty* was another Freedom Fighter from the Christian community of Odisha. Rajkishore Mohanty was born in a non-Christian family but later embraced Christianity. Being a nationalist, he used to wear Khadi
Violence Against Indian Christians Is Becoming a Problem for American Politicians
As the US pursues a closer relationship with India, activists are concerned some are overlooking the persecution of religious minorities in the world’s largest country. For nine days, Pieter Friedrich starved himself to get his congressman’s attention. Drawing from his own Christian tradition of prayer and fasting and the Indian political tactic of satyagraha, the activist and journalist fasted from July 27 until August 5, aiming to convince US Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, to speak on the House floor about violence against Christians. “He has not just a political responsibility, but a human responsibility to raise these issues,” said Friedrich, after he had abandoned his strike at the request of two Indian organizations. “I believe the only way he continues to refuse doing so is because he’s continuing to straddle the fence.” The Christians whose plight Friedrich was demanding Khanna take responsibility for, however, were not Californians, but Indians living more than 7,000 miles away in Manipur. The fence he was accusing an American congressman of straddling was US policy toward Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his troubling history of Hindu nationalism. From President Joe Biden to Indian American congressmembers like Khanna, American politicians are under increasing pressure to account for their
Christian teacher in India arrested on false charges of trafficking, conversion of students
HYDERABAD, India — Police in central India on July 26 beat a Christian educator and filed baseless charges against him of human trafficking and fraudulent conversion of eight Christian students he was escorting to a Bible institute, sources said. After arresting Liju Kuriakose off of a bus in Manikpur, Chhattisgarh state, police officers told the students, including five minors, to give false statements that they were being trafficked, said one of the youths, a 17-year-old identified only as Govardhan. “We all had vehemently refused and told the police that we have been Christians for a while and are not new converts,” Govardhan told Morning Star News. “We cannot tell lies about the brother who came all the way from Kerala to help us. When their attempts failed, police sent us to the Child Welfare Committee’s home.” Kuriakose had come from Kerala state to ensure the safe travel of the students, ages 15 to 22, and all from tribal Christian families. They had boarded the bus in Manikpur bound for a railway station in Bilaspur, where they were to take a train to the Bible institute in Kochi, Kerala state, Govardhan said. “All eight of us had secured admission in a Bible institute in Kochi,
Hindu nationalists demand arrest of Catholic priest in India for saying king was not a god
A Catholic priest in the Indian state of Goa was granted “anticipatory bail” Aug. 8 after police registered a criminal case against him for allegedly “hurting Hindu sentiments” in remarks he made about a Hindu king during a Sunday Mass in July. Hindu groups had staged demonstrations in front of the police station calling for criminal charges to be brought against Father Bolmax Pereira, parish priest of St. Francis Xavier Church in Chicalim in the Archdiocese of Goa. Pereira was quoted in the Mass posted on YouTube saying that 17th-century Hindu king Chatrapati Shivaji “was a national hero but not a god.” “There are a few people for whom Shivaji has become a god … Yes, he is a national hero. We have to honor and respect him. What he has done, the battles he fought to protect his people … for all that he deserves respect. He is a hero, but not a god. … We have to have a dialogue with our Hindu brethren and ask them ‘Is Shivaji your God? Or a national hero?’ If he is a national hero, let it be at that. Don’t make him a god. We need to understand their perspective. If we live in
Manipur Mobs Destroyed Hundreds of Our Churches. Yet God Calls Us Christians to Repent.
Since the beginning of May, more than 180 people have lost their lives in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Most of these victims are Christians from the minority Kuki-Zo tribe and, in turn, thousands from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country. Manipur is a hill-locked state with a fertile valley in the middle. The Meiteis occupy the valley districts, whereas the hill districts are the ancestral home of the various tribal communities, predating the British colonial administration. Both the hill districts and the tribal people are protected under a special act of the Indian Constitution that restricts land ownership in tribal areas. The current conflict began after the tribal community’s peaceful protest against the Meiteis’ efforts to become a “scheduled tribe” (which would also give them access to this hill land) was met with violent retaliation by a radical Meitei mob. The violence was further fueled by explosive lies spread purportedly by the Meitei community themselves, which quickly spread to the state capital, Imphal. Violent mobs started ransacking tribal houses, churches, educational institutions, and hospitals, and attacking people, including women and children. The article is published on christianitytoday.com
Catholic nuns risk their lives to serve violence-hit India’s Manipur state
Sr. Sanrupe Kharsyiumiong and her companion were busy recruiting candidates for her congregation in some parishes of Manipur, when ethnic violence targeting Christians erupted May 3 in the northeastern Indian state. After escaping, "our plan was to return in three days, but [we] got stranded in a village as mobs attacked houses and churches in several Christian villages," the 27-year-old member of the Clarist Franciscan Missionaries of the Most Blessed Sacrament told Global Sisters Report. The ongoing clash is between the majority Meitei community (who are mostly Hindu) and Kukis, one of the tribes in the state (most of them Christian). A tribal solidarity rally triggered the May 3 violence, as the Meiteis attacked the rallyists when they returned from the event. Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, the capital of Manipur, in a report submitted to visiting bishops in mid-June, stated that more than 100 civilians — mostly Christians — were killed, and 249 churches belonging to various denominations were destroyed in the violence, most of which were Baptist and Presbyterian (the two major denominations in the state). But a July 10 report that the state government submitted to the Supreme Court indicated further destruction: 142 deaths, 5,053 registered cases of arson, and the
