They are accused of promising miraculous cures for diseases, exploiting superstitions widespread among Dalits and the poor. The incident allegedly took place at the home of Pastor Achhe Lal in the village of Pakhrauli. According to a local source, it was a normal Sunday service. Fr Anand Mathew from Varanasi: “Arrests are almost daily. Catholics are wrong about Protestants when they say: it is only their problem.”
Lucknow () – Police in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have arrested four people accused of alleged conversions to Christianity, which are harshly persecuted in this and other Indian states, in a campaign fueled by Hindu nationalists who systematically spread suspicion against minorities.
The pretext behind the operation was allegedly the promise of curing certain ailments, exploiting the belief in superstitions that is widespread especially among the poor, according to the authorities. Six women were also arrested in the operation but later released. Abdus Salam, a police officer from Lambhua in Sultanpur district, said that they had been informed of illegal conversion activities carried out at the house of pastor Achhe Lal in Pakhrauli village, which is handled by the Kotwali Dehat police.
The arrests took place on Sunday, September 15, after the police raided the place in Sultanpur. There, the accused were allegedly luring poor people from the Dalit community with false promises and then converting them to Christianity. “We received information that Achhe Lal’s house was involved in unauthorised conversion activities under the garb of traditional healing practices. Investigations revealed that Kanhaiyalal, son of Chhotelal, a native of Bhadiyan, Lambhua, was responsible for the conversions,” said Abdus Salam.
Speaking to , a Pentecostal pastor, who asked not to be identified, said: “There were about 60 people attending the Sunday prayers. It was a Sunday service and there was nothing illegal, there is nothing criminal about praying within the private walls of one’s own home.” It was a local vigilante group belonging to right-wing nationalist movements that alerted the authorities. “Administrative bias and illegal violence against minorities are reaching new levels in Uttar Pradesh. Currently, about 24 Christians, mostly pastors, are languishing in jails because of their faith,” he explained.
The accused were identified as Achhe Lal, Rajiv Kumar, Mukesh and Subhash Kumar. The local official said that all four accused were later produced in a local court and remanded in police custody. Salam also said that further investigation was underway into the other two persons, Kanhaiyalal and Raju, who had been arrested earlier and were now also in custody.
Catholic priest Fr Anand Mathew, who has been working in Benares for decades, told : “The arrests are almost daily now. What is there to say?” Fr Mathew also criticises the silence of those within the local Church who say that “it is not our problem, but theirs; dividing Christians between us and them. It is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught.”
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