42 Christians Questioned, Resulting in Several Being Charged

Police in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh detained 42 Christians and formally charged nine of them after receiving a complaint about an alleged "Christian conversion racket." The accusations outlined tactics purported to be used by the believers in leading members of the state’s impoverished and tribal communities to convert to Christianity.

Based on the complaint, police brought the detained Christians in for questioning. Of these 42 believers, 27 of them were reported to be pastors. Officials also confiscated large quantities of religious literature – along with laptops, cell phones, audio recordings and more. Following the interrogations, nine of the detained believers have been charged under the state’s anti-conversion law. While this legislation is intended to prevent conversion by force or deception, in reality, it outlaws Christians from sharing the hope of the Gospel to spiritually seeking community members.

Since the anti-conversion legislation was passed three years ago, nearly 400 followers of Jesus have been arrested in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Most of the arrested believers are Protestant pastors and church members. Currently, India’s anti-conversion laws have been enacted in 12 of the country's 28 states, and there is pressure to introduce a similar law on a national level. For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, and/or to read previously published reports relating to this country, go to our country report.

Prayerfully uphold our Christian brothers and sisters in India who have been arrested for sharing their faith. Pray that the governing laws of Uttar Pradesh and other Indian states would be used in ways that also recognize and support the constitutional rights of the country’s minority groups, so freedom of expression and religion may be experienced by all citizens. In the interim, pray that despite the threat of opposition and false charges, Christians throughout the nation will continue reaching out to those around them with the compassion of Christ, in keeping with the centrality of the Gospel message.