The arrest of a British church leader in India has highlighted concerns over growing restrictions on Christians, with an Indian archbishop warning that anti-conversion laws are being used to target ordinary Christian activities.
Archbishop Joseph D’Souza, a church leader in India and representative of the All India Christian Council, told Premier Christian News the country has entered “a very difficult place and season” for religious freedom.
Twelve of India's 28 states now have anti-conversion laws. He claims hundreds of Christians have been arrested on what he describes as “flimsy and false charges” relating to alleged fraudulent conversion.
D’Souza added that prayer meetings and Bible studies held in private homes are increasingly being interpreted as conversion activity.
“What it has now turned out to be is a direct targeting of Indian Christians,” he said.
His comments come after Pankaj Devnoor, from Manchester, was arrested during a church service in Pune after a rickshaw driver told police he believed Devnoor was a missionary intending to carry out religious conversions. Devnoor, a member of the Anglican Episcopal Church International, had travelled to India to attend the anniversary of a church.
He was permitted under his immigration status to attend church services, but not to preach without permission.
The 50-year-old was charged under Maharashtra’s Freedom of Religion Act, part of the state’s new anti-conversion legislation. However, it later emerged that the law was not in force when he was arrested. The anti-conversion charges have since been dropped and Devnoor has been granted bail, although he could face further action under other laws, including alleged immigration offences.
D’Souza said the case reflects a wider problem facing Christians in India, particularly in the north. He claimed Christians can now face arrest simply for meeting in homes to pray or study the Bible, and said some pastors have spent months in prison without bail.
"One of my bishops in Bengal, where they're going to bring a similar law, was attacked," he explained. "He and his wife had gone for a home meeting nearby to his place. His clothes were torn. They were beaten up by a vigilante mob and then taken to the police station. And the police, instead of filing a case against those who used force and attacked my bishop, they filed a case against my bishop."
D’Souza said Christians have become increasingly “sensitive” and “circumspect” about sharing their faith, but insists the Church continues to grow. He added that people who voluntarily seek to know more about Christianity are still being welcomed.
“The state can make all these laws, but they can never make laws against the Spirit of God,” he said.
The archbishop also warned foreign Christians visiting India to understand restrictions surrounding tourist visas, saying that foreign visitors can attend church services but should not preach or teach while in the country on a tourist visa.
D’Souza warned that when foreign Christians are arrested, local churches can face the consequences. “The foreigner gets arrested,” he said, “but then the local Indian group bears the brunt of the attack.”
Devnoor’s family is now considering legal action against Indian police and says they fear for his safety after his name and address were widely circulated in the Indian media.
D’Souza stressed that hostility towards Christians should not be attributed to all Hindus, describing it instead as “a particular version of Hinduism”.
He is calling on Christians to pray for believers in India, particularly those in the north, as well as Christians who are imprisoned and their families.
He also urged Christians in Britain to contact their MPs and Indian authorities to raise concerns about religious freedom.
“Without prayer and action, not much happens,” he said.
