A group of Christians were arrested by the police after they were found to be praying inside their house in Mathura. They were accused of “forcible conversion” of people in Irauli Gurjar village of Mathura.
According to a local resident, Mamta, a Christian resident of the village, had invited fellow Christians in her house and was holding a prayer when they were attacked by her Hindu relatives. Mamta’s extended relatives filed a complaint alleging “forcible conversion” by Mamta and her friends. She denied any kind of conversion bid and had told the police that she and her friends were “holding prayer in her house as December was the month in which Jesus Christ was born.”
According to Aditya Shukla, Superintendent of Police (Mathura rural) police received a complaint that a few Christians were trying to “convert people” in the village. “Seven people have been booked and arrested under IPC Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings). They have been sent to 14 days judicial custody by the local Mathura court,” Mr. Shukla said. Their bail petition is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday in the local court.
Pramod Singh from Christian Legal Association told The Hindu that this “was an attempt to spread fear among the minorities and make them feel like second class citizens.”
“All that these people were doing in Mamta’s house was holding prayer when they were attacked by Hindutva goons and arrested by the police. Since when holding prayer and practising one’s own religion became illegal in this country,” he said. “The Christian community in Mathura is scared. There is atmosphere of fear and apprehension about practising one’s faith. Christmas is approaching and Christians are scared of holding prayer,” he alleged.
