By Persecution Teams
8/2/2024 India (International Christian Concern) — A missionary pastor who had recently sought permission to reopen his church in Northern India’s Uttar Pradesh (UP) state was promptly arrested, along with a member of his church, on July 29 on false charges of forceful conversions.
Instead of looking into Pastor Shyam’s request, the government official who met with him, a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), insulted the pastor and called the police on him and the man with him.
Following the pastor’s arrest under the draconian UP Anti-conversion Act, a local Hindu nationalist helped create a false narrative about the pastor. A local news website published a story about how the right-wing activist was able to stop the pastor and his colleague as they allegedly attempted unlawful religious conversions in a certain part of the town.
Pastor Shyam lives in a small town in the Ayodhya division of UP. Authorities closed his church building in 2023 after Hindu groups objected to the presence of Christian worship in the area.
Nearly a year later, Pastor Shyam visited the police station and sought permission to reopen his church facility. Police told him he needed to meet with the SDM, who called the police and local Hindu nationalists. The police promptly arrested both the pastor and the church member.
This story was originally published in persecution.org. Read the full story here.