World News

A pastor was liberated after four months of imprisonment in India

Pastor Josemon Pathrose spent nearly all of February in jail and reclaimed his confiscated vehicle after four months. The harassment and criminal charges he has faced from Hindu extremists are unfortunately common in India.

 

On February 3, Pastor Pathrose and another Christian were driving back to their base in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, from Uttar Pradesh. They stopped in Khudatpura village, Jalaun District, to visit a family who had attended his online meeting.

While they were having tea, members of the Hindu extremist groups Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad barged in, accusing the 55-year-old pastor of attempting to fraudulently convert people. Police soon arrived, arrested Pastor Pathrose and his companion, and seized his vehicle, Bibles, and literature.

They were taken to the Madhogarh police station along with three other Christians, Pastor Pathrose reported. “They slapped us as they questioned us,” Pastor Pathrose told Morning Star News. “They called me the leader of the ‘conversion racket’ and beat me more than my friend.”

Officers interrogated them about how much money they offered for each conversion to Christianity, how many people they had converted, where they got foreign funds for conversions, how many places they had evangelized, and “Who else is in your gang,” among other questions, the pastor said.

Source: christianpost.com

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