Three Christian men have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh after being accused of involvement in religious conversion activities, charges that local Church leaders strongly deny.
The arrests took place on 27 May in Jalaun district. Pastor Vivek Kumar, Mohit Chaudhary and another Christian identified as Amit were taken into custody following a complaint that alleged they were organising efforts to convert people to Christianity.
Police registered a First Information Report (FIR), which formally begins a criminal investigation, accusing the men of breaching the state's anti-conversion legislation. The report also claimed that Bibles and other Christian materials were found in their possession.
According to a church source, the three men were among a group of around 30 Christians travelling by bus to Lucknow, the state capital, to attend a prayer gathering. During the journey, the bus was reportedly stopped by Hindu nationalist activists, who searched the vehicle.
After discovering that some passengers were carrying Bibles and prayer books, the activists allegedly accused the trip organisers of conducting mass conversion activities and contacted the police.
Officers later took the group to a local police station for questioning. While most of the travellers were released after interrogation, the three organisers remained in custody.
Pastor Joy Mathew rejected the accusations, insisting there was no evidence that the group had been involved in any conversion campaign. He maintained that the Christians had acted within the law and were simply travelling to attend a religious event.
Mathew also expressed concern about what he described as a rise in hostility towards Christians in Uttar Pradesh and the increasing use of anti-conversion laws against members of the Christian community.
A Church leader involved in providing legal support to Christians facing such cases claimed that dozens of believers, including pastors, have been jailed this year over conversion-related allegations. He argued that many of the accusations are baseless and are damaging the reputation of churches and Christian prayer meetings.
The Church leader further alleged that some Hindu nationalist groups oppose Christian outreach efforts and are seeking to limit the growth of Christianity in India.
Mathew criticised the handling of the incident, saying authorities should have allowed the group to continue their journey rather than detaining them. He described the intervention as an infringement on the travellers' freedom of movement.
At the time of reporting, police had not publicly responded to the concerns raised by Church representatives.
Uttar Pradesh is one of 13 Indian states that have laws criminalising religious conversions carried out through force, coercion, fraud or inducement. Those convicted under the legislation can face lengthy prison sentences.
Adapted and rewritten from original reporting by UCA News.
