ISLAMABAD: India’s opposition party Congress has strongly criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party following the arrest of a Christian priest and 11 others during a Christmas prayer meeting in Nagpur, Maharashtra, alleging that the incident reflected a “hate-filled agenda of religious bigotry.”
According to party leaders, Maharashtra police arrested 12 people, including Father Sudhir, a Malayali priest of the Church of South India (CSI) South Kerala Diocese, Nagpur Mission, and his wife Jasmine, after a complaint was allegedly filed by activists of the right-wing Bajrang Dal, Indian media reported on Wednesday.
Bajrang Dal is a right‑wing activist group in India often described as a hardline outfit affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad that mobilizes youth around Hindu nationalist causes and has frequently featured in media reports on communal tensions and protests.
The arrests reportedly took place around 8 p.m. on Wednesday while a Christmas prayer meeting was underway in Nagpur.
Congress leaders further claimed that some individuals who later went to the police station to enquire about the arrests were also taken into custody, and cases were registered against them.
‘Unlivable for all minorities’
Congress MP and general secretary K.C. Venugopal described the incident as “highly condemnable” in a post on X, alleging that the BJP was “using the state machinery to harass Christians under the bogus pretense of religious conversions.”
He said that growing polarization had made life “unlivable for all minorities” in BJP-ruled states and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIR against the priest.
Venugopal also called for strict action against those he described as “Bajrang Dal goons,” alleging their actions led to what he termed a “frivolous case.”
“Those who take law into their own hands and destroy the secular fabric envisioned in our Constitution must be the ones receiving punishment, not innocent citizens,” Venugopal said.
Call for urgent intervention
Kerala Assembly Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan also condemned the arrests and sought urgent intervention from the center and the Maharashtra government.
Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a post on X, he demanded the immediate release of all those arrested.
In a letter, Satheesan stated that Father Sudhir is a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district and has been serving in Maharashtra for the past five years, while the remaining 10 arrested individuals are residents of Maharashtra.
He said all those detained were being held at the Benoda Police Station and were likely to be produced before a court shortly, noting that attempts by CSI representatives to secure bail at the police station were unsuccessful.
Describing the episode as alarming, Satheesan said the arrests raised serious concerns about violations of constitutional rights, particularly the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion.
