Pastor Jailed and Released on False Charges of Forced Conversions

A House church in Uttar Pradesh was raided by police in the middle of their Sunday worship service early last month, leaving a congregation temporarily without a pastor. During the raid, police confiscated church property as evidence, including Bibles, the sound system and the pulpit.  

Pastor Chotelal, along with four other members of his church, were then taken into custody on charges of converting Hindus to Christianity. After being interrogated for several hours, the four men arrested with the pastor were released the same day. However, Pastor Chotelal remained in custody for more than a month.  

The pastor has been serving in his village for more than 30 years, and on average, 100 people gather in his house for worship every Sunday. He has faced increasingly difficult and aggressive opposition since he started his church planting ministry, but this is the first time he had to spend time in jail and be released on bail.