Nepalese Christians Arrested in India for Blasphemy
- By C Barnett --
- 15 Jan 2018 --
On Wednesday, the three were arrested while interacting with a crowd in a location called Tareen Bahadurganj. The issue is said to have sparked off when the trio got into an argument with two individuals named Vimal Pandey and Prakash Dikshit. The latter duo alleged that the trio insulted Hindu gods.
However, according to one of the residents in the area, the trio is innocent. The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that the men were only sharing messages about Christianity and that it was a standard practice for years. The resident added that neither of them mentioned anything bad about Hinduism or its deities.
Even so, DC Sharma, the SHO at the Sadar Bazaar Police Station, told the media that the three had been booked. He also pointed out that the trio was linked to the World Council of Churches and was spreading Christianity.
However, Rajendra Saluja, a local intelligence head at Shahjahanpur claimed that there is no evidence to suggest that the trio committed a crime. He pointed out that nothing could be attributed to the group except for the fact that they possessed Christian literature, which isn’t a crime.
Nepalese citizens are allowed to enter India without a visa or Passport and therefore, are treated as Indian citizens, which means they are subject to the local laws. However, if a crime is committed, the Nepal High Commission must be informed.Since a crime cannot be proven here, it is not known whether the Nepal High Commission will be informed.
Incidents involving the arrest of Christian pastors and ministers have increased in India in recent years. Especially in Uttar Pradesh where seven pastors were arrested last year for similar reasons.
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