Coming on the heels of a series of recent anti-Christian attacks reported from parts of central and north India, largely in BJP-ruled States, the incident has put the party on the defensive in Kerala.
Published Dec 31, 2025 | 6:17 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 31, 2025 | 6:17 PM
Fr Sudheer, a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district, has been serving in Maharashtra for the past five years.
Synopsis: The arrest of a Keralite Christian priest and others in Nagpur during a Christmas prayer meeting, following a complaint alleging forced religious conversion, has triggered strong condemnation from church leaders and sparked a political storm in Kerala. The Church of South India and other Christian bodies have described the police action as unconstitutional, saying the priest was engaged in long-standing social and educational work, while Opposition leaders have accused the BJP of permitting a pattern of minority targeting in BJP-ruled States.
The arrest of a Keralite Christian priest in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on allegations of forced religious conversion has drawn condemnation from church leaders and provoked political backlash in Kerala.
Fr Sudheer, a priest attached to the Nagpur Mission of the Church of South India (CSI), South Kerala Diocese, his wife Jasmine, and several others were taken into custody by the Maharashtra Police on Tuesday evening, 30 December. On Wednesday evening, the District and Sessions Court in Warud granted bail to all eight accused.
The CSI South Kerala Diocese said the detention took place while a Christmas prayer meeting was being held at the residence of a local family in Nagpur.
Coming on the heels of a series of recent anti-Christian attacks reported from parts of central and north India, largely in BJP-ruled States, the incident has put the party on the defensive in Kerala.
With the 2026 Assembly elections only months away, the saffron party has in recent months been actively courting the politically significant support of Christian communities, particularly in Central Travancore.
Fr Sudheer, a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district, has been serving in Maharashtra for the past five years, though church leaders later clarified that CSI mission activities have been ongoing in the Nagpur region for over a decade.
He had reportedly been invited to the house for a Christmas programme, which also coincided with the birthday celebration of the host.
Police intervened during the prayer meeting and detained the priest, his wife and others after a complaint alleging forced religious conversion was reportedly filed by activists affiliated with the Hindutva outfit Bajrang Dal.
The diocese said it was told the detention was linked to conversion allegations, but added that police had not officially stated the grounds for the action at the time.
It said it was closely monitoring similar incidents across the country and would inform both the Central and State governments about the Nagpur episode, while pursuing legal remedies to protect its members.
Those arrested were initially taken to Benoda Police Station in Nagpur. According to church leaders who attempted to intervene, even those who went to the station merely to inquire about the incident were detained, and cases were reportedly registered against them. The arrested were produced before the Warud court on Wednesday.
The CSI South Kerala Diocese said it had established direct contact with Fr Sudheer and had initiated steps to ensure legal assistance and secure bail for those arrested.
The arrests drew strong condemnation from the CSI Bishops’ Council. Its secretary, Bishop Dr Malayil Sabu Koshy, described the action as a blatant violation of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Indian Constitution.
Addressing the media in Kottayam, Bishop Koshy said Fr Sudheer had been engaged in educational and social service activities in villages around Nagpur for several years. These included literacy programmes, nursery schools and initiatives focused on health and hygiene.
“These are Christmas worship services, not conversion programmes,” the Bishop said, adding that Christian missionaries often work in areas beyond the reach of government systems. “There is absolutely no doubt that this arrest was made without any valid reason.”
The CSI Bishops’ Council strongly condemned the police action and said it would extend full legal support to those arrested. It also warned that silence or inaction by political leadership in the face of repeated attacks on Christians could embolden those responsible.
Church leaders noted that the incident occurred a day after senior bishops and religious representatives met Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan at Kerala Lok Bhavan to raise concerns over increasing attacks on Christians across the country.
Calling the sequence of events “deeply painful”, Bishop Koshy said church leaders had conveyed to the Vice-President that continued government silence was being perceived as tacit encouragement for violence and intimidation against minorities. “That this incident happened the very next day has caused grave distress,” he said.
With Assembly elections approaching in Kerala, political observers say the episode could affect the BJP’s outreach to Christian voters and lend weight to Opposition accusations of intolerance in BJP-ruled States.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the incident “deeply disturbing” in a social media post, alleging that it fit into a broader pattern of minority targeting.
“This follows a worrying pattern by the Sangh Parivar of targeting minorities to fuel polarisation, as seen earlier in Jabalpur. Such actions undermine constitutional freedoms,” the Chief Minister said.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan wrote separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking urgent intervention. Describing the arrests as unconstitutional, Satheesan said freedom of religion—including the right to profess, practise and propagate—was explicitly guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Arresting people for conducting a peaceful prayer meeting strikes at the very foundations of India’s secular and democratic ethos,” he wrote, demanding immediate steps to secure their release and prevent such incidents in the future.
The incident has also drawn reactions from other Christian denominations. Baselios Mathews III Catholicos Bava, head of the Orthodox Church, condemned the arrests, stating that any ruler who condones such actions is acting against the Constitution.
“In a secular country like India, there is no distinction between majority and minority when it comes to fundamental rights. Suppressing religious freedom is an insult to human society,” he said, warning that the continuation of such measures was deeply worrying.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church, through its official mouthpiece Deepika, also criticised the Prime Minister’s silence on recent anti-Christian attacks, adding to mounting pressure on the Centre.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
