Pastor and Family Detained; Multiple Other Christians Arrested

A pastor, his wife and their three-year-old son have been jailed in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after holding a prayer service at their home in Haidargarh on July 30th. Pastor Harendra Singh and his wife Priya were arrested and remanded on allegations of "luring innocent people to Christianity." Because both of these parents were detained, they had to take their young son with them to prison.

This family was among several other groups of believers who were recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh. An unnamed Christian leader in the region stated, "The situation has reached such a stage that holding a prayer service or reading the Bible at home can land you in jail." On the same day that Pastor Harendra and his family were taken into custody, Pastor Amarjeet Ram and 14 other Christians were arrested at a prayer meeting in the village of Balapur. While 11 of the believers had been released on bail soon afterwards, Pastor Amarjeet and three others remained in custody until they were granted bail on August 9th. Additionally, in two separate incidents that occurred around the same time in other districts of the state, similar arrests were made of seven other Christians.

State law prohibits any change of religion through allurement, force or coercion. However, false accusations frequently lead to charges where there has been no such inducement. Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states in India where Christians experience persecution because of their faith. For more reports addressing the challenges encountered by our Christian brothers and sisters in India, go to our country report.

Pray that all charges will be dropped against these Christians who now must legally contend with judicial authorities in defence of the false accusations presented against them because of their faith. In the interim, may Pastor Harendra and his family, as well as the other believers remaining in custody, tangibly sense the Lord's comforting presence with them. Amid the increasing religious tensions taking place in various states of India, pray that followers of Jesus will find effective ways to continue sharing the love and grace of God with those around them.