Christians charged with ‘forced conversion’

NEW DELHI — Hindu villagers have accused a Christian couple in Madhya Pradesh state, India, of attempted forced conversion. Jagdish and Grace Nayak were arrested July 19. Dharmendra Chaterjee invited them to his house for prayer and, after they finished praying, called his neighbors into the house and accused the Nayaks of enticing his family to convert to Christianity in return for education, health care and other benefits, including money for a family wedding. The Nayaks were detained by villagers, including members of the Dharma Raksha Samiti (DRS, or Religious Protection Committee) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu extremist group. Police soon took them into custody. A police inspector said he believed it was a planned attempt by the DRS and the RSS to keep the Nayaks away from the village.