The Diocese of Allahabad, in a statement, detailed the sequence of events that led to the priest’s arrest. According to the diocese, the police were trying to locate a Christian pastor named Susai Raj, who allegedly violated “conversion laws” by conducting prayers inside a house. Raj is the brother of an employee of Father Francis.
When the police could not find Raj, they arrested two of his brothers, his son-in-law, along with the Catholic priest, and brought them to the police station. All of them were charged with conversion and “attempt to murder.”’
“This incident shows the ugly reality behind many of the conversion cases. Though Father Francis has been released, but there are dozens of innocent Christians languishing in jail under such dubious charges. One more pastor has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh today,” A C Michael, coordinator of the United Christian Forum (UCF), told CNA.
“Despite being a secular democracy, the sad reality is that harassment of Christians is becoming endemic with at least two incidents of atrocities being reported daily in 2023,” pointed out Michael, a Catholic.
UCF, the ecumenical forum that monitors anti-Christian violence in the country, recorded 687 incidents of violence against Christians in the first 11 months of 2023.
“Our country has been witnessing a sharp increase in targeted violence against Christians since 2014,” remarked Michael.