Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Indian Christians Arrested for Taking Children to Bible Camp

Photo credit: -.-Paul-.-/Flickr
Photo credit: -.-Paul-.-/Flickr
Share Tweet
By Carly Hoilman
Writer

May 31, 2017

Indian officials have charged 10 Christian adults with violating the predominantly Hindu country’s strict conversion laws, according to Fox News. Their crime? Transporting children to a summer Bible camp — with their parents’ approval.

India’s 1968 Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act prohibits Hindu individuals from converting to another religion without undergoing a lengthy process that involves submitting required paperwork to the government for approval.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Police Superintendent Krishnaveni Desavatu said that the 10 Christians attempted to bypass the law and forcibly convert Hindu children. Though the children were reportedly already Christians, their parents had not submitted the proper paperwork needed to “legitimately” convert to Christianity. Because of this, the children are legally considered Hindu, according to Crux.

“This is why the children and their parents will be officially treated as Hindu tribals and not Christians,” Desavatu told The Indian Express.

Last week, Madya Pradesh police stopped a bus carrying 60 children and nine chaperones as they were en route to the summer camp in Nagpur. The next day, police stopped another bus with 11 children, plus chaperones, who were also traveling to the camp, according to Fox.

Authorities claim to have “rescued” the 71 children — many of whom have Christian parents — and placed them in “welfare homes” until they could be interrogated by officials. After this, officials said they would release the children to their families.

The fate of the 10 adult chaperones, however, remains uncertain.

According to Fox, the chaperones initially faced charges of illegal conversion and kidnapping, as it was unclear whether the children’s parents were aware of their trip. The kidnapping charge was eventually dropped, but the comparably serious conversion charges remain.

Christian leaders in India have spoken out in defense of the accused, citing the chaperones’ detainment as the latest case among many targeting Indian Christians. To make things worse, the children and their parents are members of the country’s lowest caste, the Dalits, who are sometimes referred to as “untouchables.” Christian Dalits are among the most vulnerable in Indian society.

“The traumatization of these tribal and Dalit children from the villages of western Madhya Pradesh is symptomatic of the paranoia and targeted hate that is currently sweeping across north India,” John Dayal, spokesperson of the United Christian Forum and former president of the All India Catholic Union, told Crux.

“No laws were broken by anyone in this instance, as indeed in incidents of anti-Christian violence in recent weeks,” he said.

According to Crux, Christians comprise a mere 1 percent of the population in India’s Madhya Pradesh state. More than 90 percent of residents are Hindu.

(H/T: Fox News)

—

Other Must-Read Stories:

— Watch: Arabic Media Company Releases Ad Urging Muslims to Practice ‘Love, Not Terror’

—REPORT: Muslim Mob Torches Egyptian Coptic Christians’ Homes, Hurls Stones in Horrific Attack

—40 Coptic Christians Have Been Killed in Egypt Due to ‘Targeted Attacks’ in the Last 90 Days

— Update: Coptic Christians Were Murdered After Refusing to Renounce Their Faith

Latest

  • Christian Persecution

    ‘Watch Out For the Early Warning Signs’: Persecuted Christians in Most Dangerous Places Reveal Where Chaos Started

  • News

    Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Attacked for Second Time in Less Than a Year

  • News

    Bible College Fires Professor Who Tweeted About Biblical Sexuality

  • Faith

    Want to ‘Experience God in a More Profound and Powerful Way?’ How One Pastor’s Biblical Practice Transformed His Life and Ministry

  • Faith

    Franklin Graham Praises DeSantis For Drag Show Kid Crackdown: ‘Doesn’t Mess Around’


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Watch Out For the Early Warning Signs’: Persecuted Christians in Most Dangerous Places Reveal Where Chaos Started
  • Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Attacked for Second Time in Less Than a Year
  • Bible College Fires Professor Who Tweeted About Biblical Sexuality
  • Want to ‘Experience God in a More Profound and Powerful Way?’ How One Pastor’s Biblical Practice Transformed His Life and Ministry
  • Franklin Graham Praises DeSantis For Drag Show Kid Crackdown: ‘Doesn’t Mess Around’

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?