by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A Church leader and a fellow Christian man in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have been released on bail pending trial for praying with friends in the pastor’s home on New Year’s Eve, CBN News reports.
Pastor Raj Kishore and a group of Christian friends were praying together in the church leader’s house in Kothibhar, Maharajganj District on Dec. 31, when police arrived at 11pm, CBN News reports. The police had come following a complaint from a neighbor who accused the pastor of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity.
Pastor Kishore and fellow Christian Raj Kumar were arrested and detained, CBN News reports.
"The Station House Officer told me that he booked Kishore and Kumar under the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) 151 ('Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offenses'), 107 ('breach of peace or disturb public tranquility'), 116 ('provides for the power of the Magistrate to take immediate measures for the execution of bond..')," Pyare Lal, a Christian leader from Uttar Pradesh, told Christian Today. Kishore and Kumar appeared before Sub-Divisional Magistrate on New Year's Day and were released on bail. However, the case against them continues, CBN News reports.
Uttar Pradesh is one of 12 Indian states governed by Hindu nationalists who have implemented harsh anti-conversion laws that are frequently used to harass and persecute Christians.
Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly 20 years, India ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.