Two other cases instigated by Hindu fundamentalists for simple prayer meetings in Varanasi and Lakhimpur. Father Pereira: “The BJP, the government party, wants people’s minds to be occupied with these things and not think about price increases, corruption and lack of work.”
Varanasi () – New arbitrary arrests of Christian pastors in Uttar Pradesh, accused of “conversions” by Hindu fundamentalists. Pastor Santosh Kanojia was arrested in Varanasi due to a complaint against his father Sabhajit Kanojia and a member of his congregation identified as Chhota. In another case, Pastor Mithlesh Kumar was visiting a family in the Lakhimpur district of Uttar Pradesh when some villagers reported him and the police took him to the Phool Behad police station, where he was detained.
Father Vineet Vincent Pereira, a Catholic priest from Varanasi who is mobilizing for their release, told : “Many pastors are persecuted in Uttar Pradesh, some have been detained and arrested. There is a lot of confusion here. Christians are blamed only for leading prayer. Fundamentalist groups do it for political reasons, to instigate fanatics. The BJP, the ruling party, wants people to deal with these things so they don’t think about the real problems, like price gouging, corruption and joblessness.”
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