{"id":195628,"date":"2026-02-24T17:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=195628"},"modified":"2026-02-24T17:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:21:08","slug":"christian-preacher-arrested-in-uttar-pradesh-amid-crackdown-on-religious-minorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/02\/24\/christian-preacher-arrested-in-uttar-pradesh-amid-crackdown-on-religious-minorities.html","title":{"rendered":"Christian preacher arrested in Uttar Pradesh amid crackdown on religious minorities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Lucknow: In yet another incident highlighting the growing crackdown on religious minorities in Modi\u2019s India, a pastor has been arrested in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh over allegations of religious conversion following a complaint filed by members of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindutva organisation that is infamous for its hate campaigns and hate crimes against Muslims and Christians.<\/p>\n

According to Kashmir Media Service, Pastor Jose Thomas, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, currently residing in Patna, Bihar, had travelled to Ballia district, where he was reportedly addressing a gathering of more than 20 women and children when he was taken into custody.<\/p>\n

Authorities claimed that he had arrived in the area for religious activities allegedly linked to conversion. Police said that during the operation, they seized 124 religious books, along with musical instruments and microphones. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the state\u2019s anti-conversion law, and further investigations are underway. Police have also said that his bank accounts will be examined to trace the source of the funding.<\/p>\n

The arrest comes amid a series of similar actions involving Christian clergy in different parts of India. Last month, Pastor Albin, a resident of Vattapara in Thiruvananthapuram, was detained by police in Ghatampur near Kanpur after a complaint by Bajrang Dal district convener Shubham Shaurya Agnihotri. In another case in Maharashtra, priest Sudheer of the CSI Church Nagpur Mission, along with his wife Jasmine, relatives, and friends, was arrested during a Christmas prayer meeting in Shingodi village of Nagpur district following a complaint by Bajrang Dal activists alleging religious conversion activities. The local court subsequently later granted bail to Sudheer, his wife, and nine others arrested in connection with the case.<\/p>\n

The recent arrests have once again drawn attention to the implementation of anti-conversion laws in several Indian states. Critics argue that these laws are increasingly being used as tools to intimidate and harass religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, under the pretext of preventing forced conversions, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among these communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lucknow: In yet another incident highlighting the growing crackdown on religious minorities in Modi\u2019s India, a pastor has been arrested in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh over allegations of religious conversion following a complaint filed by members of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindutva organisation that is infamous for its hate campaigns and hate crimes against Muslims and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":195631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t