Police in Ghaziabad arrested a pastor and a Christian convert on Sunday, 15 June, following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member alleging illegal religious conversion activities—reportedly the latest in a series of incidents targeting Christians in Uttar Pradesh.
Pastor Vinod Kunjumon, originally from Kerala and currently residing in Sahibabad, and Premchand Jatav, a resident of Rahul Vihar, were taken into custody after Bajrang Dal member Prabal Gupta filed a complaint at Crossings Republik police station. Gupta alleged that conversions were being carried out through inducements.
However, local residents refuted these claims. Satish Anand, a 54-year-old neighbour who runs a local eatery, told reporters: "He only conducted prayer gatherings every Sunday. People from nearby areas like Rahul Vihar and Buddh Vihar would attend, but he never encouraged anyone to convert."
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Wave City, Priyashri Pal, told the media: "While no conclusive evidence has yet been established, an investigation is underway."
Jatav, who converted to Christianity around 20 years ago, had been hosting weekly Sunday prayer meetings at his home. According to police, he embraced Christianity after his daughter's health improved following attendance at Christian prayer meetings. For the past four years, Pastor Vinod had been leading regular Sunday services at the residence.
The incident unfolded when Bajrang Dal workers, claiming to have received information about illegal conversions, attempted to enter Jatav's house during evening prayers. Around 20–25 women were reportedly attending the service at the time of the confrontation.
When media personnel visited Rahul Vihar the next day, Jatav's house was found locked, with visible damage to its gates—suggesting that Bajrang Dal members had also engaged in vandalism.
In his complaint, Gupta alleged: "Premchand converted to Christianity several years ago and began hosting Sunday prayer services, using them as a platform for the pastor to reach out to others and influence them to convert." He also claimed Bajrang Dal members were attacked when they intervened.
Despite Bajrang Dal members having disrupted a Christian gathering, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Pastor Kunjumon and Jatav under sections relating to voluntarily causing hurt, issuing death threats, and breach of peace under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
The arrests have heightened concerns over the targeting of Christian communities in Uttar Pradesh, where the state’s anti-conversion law is increasingly being used to scrutinise religious gatherings and detain Christian clergy and converts based on complaints from Hindu nationalist groups.
ACP Pal stated that further legal action would depend on the outcome of the investigation. Meanwhile, neighbours continued to insist that only prayer meetings—not conversion activities—had taken place at the residence.
