Indian pastors arrested and released over ‘conversion’ allegation

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Ten pastors from a central Indian state have been released after being arrested following allegations by a radical Hindu group that they were involved in religious conversion activities.

About 25 Christians and 10 pastors had gathered for Sunday prayers in the village of Amleshwar in the central state of Chhattisgarhon on April 30 when nearly 100 men belonging to the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist group, broke in and arrested them, Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, told UCA News on May 2.

The place where they had gathered for prayer is the residence of a Christian dentist. However, the police arrested the pastors and released them in the evening of the same day, Pannalal added.

The pastors were accused of engaging in religious conversions and threatened inside the police station by Bajrang Dal militants, Pannalal added.

Ankush Barayiekar, who attended the Sunday prayer meeting, told UCA News: This is not the first time Christians have been attacked by the BajrangDal.

He said the dentist’s Hindu neighbors had opposed the prayer service in the past and appeared to have solicited the services of Hindu radicals to achieve their goal.

Police questioned the pastors why they were holding prayers at a private residence and even beat some of the pastors who needed to be treated at a local hospital, Barayiekara alleged.

Vinay Sahu, the dentist at whose house the prayer meeting was held, told local media that the Bajrang Dal carried out a similar attack in 2021.

We don’t use loudspeakers and cause no noise pollution, but we don’t understand the reason for some people’s animosity towards us, Sahu reportedly said.

Abhishek Pallava, Superintendent of Police of Durg district, in whose jurisdiction the village of Amleshwar is, called it a small incident and said the issue had been resolved.

However, Pannalal said he was considering asking the court to order the police to take action against the Bajrang Dal. to disturb and attack Christians while they were praying.

He said the attack was part of the ongoing campaign by radical Hindu groups to force Christians in Chhattisgarh to abandon Christianity and embrace Hinduism.

Earlier this year, Christians were attacked in Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts in the central state. More than 1,000 tribal Christians, including pregnant women, children and the elderly, were forced to flee their villages.

Chhattisgarh’s Christians represent less than 2% of its 30 million inhabitants.

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