A pastor in Uttar Pradesh state was filing affidavits on 18 June stating that 16 people had become Christians of their own free will when Hindu extremists came and accused him of forcible conversion, resulting in his incarceration.
After manhandling and jailing 58-year-old Dependra Prakash, the Hindu extremists then went to the 16 new Christians’ homes and threatened to expel them if they did not recant their faith.
Someone on the court premises had informed the extremists about the affidavits, and a few members of the Bajrang Dal (youth wing of the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad) approached and questioned Pastor Maleywar about the affidavits. Checking the pastor’s bag and grabbing the affidavits, they accused him of forcible and fraudulent conversion.
