06/02/2022 India (International Christian Concern) – At least 30 Christians in India were imprisoned in May within the state of Uttar Pradesh alone including 20 in the last week. Authorities justified these arrests by filing charges of forced conversion. In many of these cases, the arrested Christians were victims of other types of persecution.
A grueling incident occurred May 31 when a mob of radicals broke into the home of a local pastor who was praying with his family. The intruders proceeded to beat him, drag him from the home, and assault him before handing him over to police. The police arrested and imprisoned him and turned a blind eye to the egregious assault against the pastor.
The police filed a First Information Report (FIR) which charged him with deliberate and malicious acts against another religion. The anti-conversion laws adopted in 11 Indian states are often weaponized against Christians, allowing authorities to jail them with little regard for due process.
“We have arrived at a critical juncture, where practicing faith of our choice is equated as crime and punished accordingly,” said a local Christian leader, who spoke with ICC about the current crackdown against churches in Uttar Pradesh. “We need to be alert and prepared to face the challenge; almost every pastor and leader is targeted in UP. These are the testing times.”
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Source: International Christian Concern
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