The arrested priest is Fr Pinto, the director of Navintha, the diocesan pastoral center of the Diocese of Lucknow. He allowed a Protestant group and Khrist Bhakta, a movement that follows the teachings of Jesus without converting to Christianity, to organize events in the pastoral center.

During the latest gathering, complaints were reported to the police because of alleged forced conversion.

However, there were no conversions at the event. Approximately 200 people gathered together from a Protestant group and Khrist Bhakta to pray and preach.

Bishop Gerald Mathias of Lucknow said that the charges of conversion are false and that the police were pressured by radical Hindu groups to act. As the police entered the gathering, Hindu radicals from the group of Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal also entered the building, vandalizing the place.

The police arrested Fr Pinto alongside nine pastors and youth leaders. Bishop Mathias explained that the police arrested Fr Pinto without any evidence, and this type of harassment is typical against Christians in India.

Source: Asia News

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