A pastor and his wife were arrested on false allegations. The wife was assaulted while in custody, and their two young children were left without custodial care.
Morning Star News reported that Vinod Pal Singh and his wife, Jyoti Devi, were arrested July 27 in India’s Uttar Pradesh state on false charges of “forced conversion.” Three other Christians were also taken into custody.
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On that day, about 25 Hindu extremists stormed a worship service at Singh’s church, vandalized the interior, confiscated Bibles and interrogated Singh and his wife for two hours. When police arrived, the extremists insisted that the five Christians be arrested for “forced conversion.”
In a complaint to Imaliya Sultanpur police, a 23-year-old claimed that the five Christians, along with two others who avoided arrest, tried to coerce him with money to convert to Christianity while he was passing through Sitapur village.
When Singh and his wife were arrested at the church, their 4- and 7-year-old sons were left behind. “Church members arranged for the children’s maternal grandparents to care for them,” stated Morning Star.
While his wife was jailed, a female employee of the police station assaulted her, Singh said.
Initially, a lower court denied bail to the group of Christians, but a district court granted it Aug. 11. However, Singh told Morning Star that he and his wife were not released until Aug. 21.
World Watch
India is No. 11 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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