UP Police arrest 60-year-old pastor, son after Bajrang Dal workers protest outside church alleging forced conversion
A 60-year-old pastor and his son were arrested on Sunday after members of right-wing extremist group Bajrang Dal protested outside a church in Fatehpur district, accusing the duo of forced conversion by luring Hindu women with money and other promises, reported PTI. The protesters also briefly surrounded the police vehicle in which the pastor, David Gladion, and his son Abhishek Gladion (30) were being transported. During a prayer meeting at the church, the Bajrang Dal workers gathered outside and held a protest for nearly three hours, alleging that Hindu women were being lured to the church with promises of money, jobs and free education for their children. They also alleged that around 150 people, including a large number of women, were present inside the church at the time. On receiving information about the protests, Circle Officer Veer Singh reached the spot with a large police contingent. However, the police took the pastor and son into cutsody. According to Radha Nagar Station House Officer Vinod Kumar Maurya, a case has been registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act against the pastor, his son and seven unidentified persons, based on a complaint filed by a local, Dev Prakash Paswan. Meanwhile, a police officer was quoted by the PTI as saying publicity vehicles were being used to invite villagers to prayer meetings. One such vehicle was seized during the protest, and religious literature was recovered from it, he said. CO Veer Singh told PTI that the 'purpose' of the women's presence at the church was being verified. He said an investigation was underway and further action would be taken based on evidence. The arrest came days after the United Christians Forum (UCF), in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed concern regarding the disturbing pattern of religious persecution of Christians in the country. In the letter dated 26th December, a day after the country witnessed multiple attacks against Christmas celebrations across several states, the organisation stated that it has recorded a total of 814 incidents of violence against Christians with an average of 69.5 incidents per month in 2024. As of November 2025, a staggering 706 incidents targeting Christians have been recorded by the UCF, the letter said. The UCF said the primary reason of these attacks have been false allegations of fraudulent conversions and noted that Uttar Pradesh emerged as the leading state with 184 such incidents, followed by Chhattisgarh with 157 cases. The letter also cited a report titled 'Criminalising Practice of Faith' which documented incidents where the police allegedly colluded with Hindutva groups and turned a blind eye to offences commited against Christians. (With inputs from PTI)
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