Three Christians, including a pastor, were arrested this week in northern India under a controversial anti-conversion law for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity through “inducements.”
The arrests in Uttar Pradesh came days after the country’s top court criticized the state for misusing the law to harass members of the minority community.
Police in Bareilly district arrested Pastor Sumit Masey, Amit Masey, also known as Akshay Masey, and a woman identified only as Sarita following a complaint. A fourth accused, Satyapal, remains missing, reports Press Trust of India, citing police officials.
The arrests were made under provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, commonly referred to as the anti-conversion law, which bans religious conversions by force, fraud or allurement.
The complaint was lodged by area residents Rishabh Thakur and Nirdosh Rathore, alleging that individuals affiliated with a Christian missionary had rented a house in the city’s Super City locality, where they were allegedly pressuring Hindu women and children to convert by disguising their efforts as religious gatherings and prayer events, police told media.
The arrested individuals allegedly offered promises of improved living standards and healing to people from Dalit, formerly “untouchables,” and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to convince them to adopt Christianity, police claimed, adding that several women and children had already been converted using this method.
The accused used emotional and psychological pressure before introducing prospective converts to Christian teachings and scriptures, police further claimed.
Three days before the arrests, the Supreme Court had thrown out criminal complaints filed against Christians accused of religious conversion under the same law, according to The Hindu.
The court identified procedural flaws, the absence of credible evidence, and recurring allegations repeated in several complaints. The judgment said the criminal cases amounted to harassment of individuals who appeared to be innocent. It pointed out that many of the complaints were lodged by unrelated third parties long after the events in question, with no direct proof of unlawful conversion or statements from anyone claiming coercion.
The court said allowing the prosecutions to continue would be a “travesty of justice.”
The court also questioned the larger legal structure of the anti-conversion law. It raised concerns about the requirement to notify district authorities 60 days in advance and the legal mandate for a police inquiry before any conversion.
After the conversion, the law requires another declaration to the authorities and the public posting of personal details, including the home address and the location of the event. The court said these conditions interfere with individual privacy and autonomy.
Persecution of Christians in India is most severe in Uttar Pradesh, which is governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Christians comprise about 5% of India’s population. In Uttar Pradesh, Christians make up less than 1% of the population.
India ranks as the 11th-worst country in the world for Christian persecution, according to Open Doors World Watch List. The watchdog group notes that at least a dozen states have passed anti-conversion laws that threaten the religious freedom of Christians.
