Christians wary after spate of arrests in northern India

Christian leaders in a northern Indian state have expressed serious concern after a series of detentions and arrests over alleged “conversion” activities by police during the past week.

“More than 25 Christians including pastors were detained or arrested in the past week,” said Pastor Jitendra Singh, general secretary of the Pastors’ Association of Uttar Pradesh.

Some 20 Christians were detained last Sunday (Sept. 10) and released the same day in Kanpur district. Three were arrested in Azamgarh district on Sept. 13, and two were arrested in Auraiya district on Sept. 14, Pastor Singh told UCA News on Sept. 15.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of attacks against Christians so far this year, according to the New Delhi-based United Christian Forum (UCF), which tracks persecution of Christians across the country.

The most populous state, ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported 211 incidents.

It is among the 11 Indian states that have enacted the draconian law that bans religious conversion through allurement, force, and coercion.

In Azamgarh district, the police arrested Parmeshwar Ram, Brijesh Yadav and Poonam Yadav after local people alleged they were offering financial inducements for conversion to Christianity.

A case was registered against the three at the Jahanaganj police station.

They were accused of gathering a large number of men and women aiming to convert them to Christianity.

Police also claimed to have recovered copies of the Bible, pamphlets and identity cards from the pastors, reported the Hindi daily Dainik Bhasker.

“The state police have arrested more than 100 people including pastors in the last six months under the false allegation of religious conversion,” Pastor Singh said.

Around 10 churches in Kanpur, Fatehpur, Bareilly and other districts have been locked, affecting church activities and group prayers, he said.

“We are living in constant fear and threat of hardline Hindu groups,” said Pastor Singh, a member of the New India Church of God.

A Christian activist, who requested not to be identified, said they “will apply for a regular bail in the Azamgarh district court on Sept. 15. But there is little chance of the three arrested Christians being released today.”

Gaurav Raghuvanshi, convener of the hardline Hindu group Bajrang Dal (Brigade of Lord Hanuman), claimed Christian missionaries are active in every village of Azamgarh district.

He alleged missionaries were expanding their network by building new churches and converting poor Hindus through the lure of money.

The state’s anti-conversion law — The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 — criminalizes religious conversion by “force, undue influence, coercion, or allurement” and even “marriage for the sake of religious conversion.”

Christians make up 0.18 percent of the state’s 200 million people, the majority of them Hindus.

 

This article is published on https://www.ucanews.com/news/christians-wary-after-spate-of-arrests-in-northern-india/102621