By Bijay Kumar Minj
Ten Christians, including six women and a pastor, have been arrested in India’s largest and most populous state where a draconian anti-conversion law will soon become even stricter.
There were around 60 people attending a Sunday prayer service led by Pastor Achhe Lal in Pakhrauli village in Sultanpur district in northern Uttar Pradesh on Sept. 15, said Pastor Jiya Lal, who is rendering legal help to those arrested.
A Hindu group alleged that they were converting Dalits (former untouchables) and based on its complaint, police arrested four men, including Achhe Lal and the six women, said Jiya Lal, who is based near Sultanpur district.
“The women were released later,” he told UCA News on Sept. 17
Religious conversion is banned in Uttar Pradesh, where Christians constitute a mere 0.18 percent of its 200 million people.
The Hindu-majority state has been under the rule of pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2017.
This story was originally published in ucanews.com. Read the full story here.