Death threat issued to pastor in Uttar Pradesh, investigations on

Lucknow – A pastor has been issued death threats by local supporters of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh following complaints by a woman that he and six of her uncles had forcibly tried to convert her to Christianity.

The men involved say the accusations are an attempt to take revenge after a dispute erupted over a drainage channel.

The tension began three months back in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, when Saroj Maurya, the 35–year–old niece of six Christian brothers who attend prayer meetings at the home of Assemblies of God Pastor Mehboob Masih, fought with them over a government drainage channel that flowed past the door of her room.

Maurya is the daughter of the seventh brother, who passed away a few years ago.

According to reports obtained by Compass, she blocked the channel with a brick, but later found the brick had been removed. Blaming her uncles, she apparently locked up one of her aunts for several hours in a fit of anger.

One of the brothers, who works in Delhi, came back to solve the dispute. Maurya, however, rejected his intervention and approached local newspapers with a statement accusing her uncles and Pastor Masih of attempting to forcibly convert her.

When the news spread, BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh immediately launched a campaign against Masih and threatened to kill him.

On May 6, three local BJP leaders came to Masih's house and warned him not to hold any prayer meeting. They also threatened him with dire consequences, saying that he would meet the same fate as Australian missionary Graham Staines and two of his children, who were burned alive in Orissa in January 1999, if he continued to hold the meetings.

"They also said if I gathered people for prayer, they would instead hold a Hindu worship ceremony in my house," Compass quoted Masih as saying.

Later that night, a senior police officer of the Fatehganj police station came to Masih's house and ordered him not to hold the prayer meeting the following day. According to Masih, the officer said his men would not be held responsible for any "untoward incident" and that in the event of any untoward incident, the police would hold Masih responsible and arrest him.

On May 7, Masih submitted a complaint but the police refused to give him a signed copy as required by law. Instead, they informed Masih that a case had been filed against him for attempting forcible conversion.

When contacted by Compass, Station House Officer (SHO) Rajesh Singh Solanki denied advising Masih not to hold the prayer meeting. He also denied having any knowledge of the case filed against Masih, claiming the sub–divisional magistrate was handling it.

"This is a gross violation of the right to religious freedom of the Assembly of God church in Bareilly," said Jose Sam, a representative of the Christian advocacy group, All India Christian Council (AICC) in Delhi. The Assemblies of God church is a member of the AICC. Jose said he would assist in defending Masih against the allegations.

AICC has also urged the Christian United Forum, Bereilly, a member of AICC to file a complaint to the District Magistrate and other senior officers against Sangh Parivar for disturbing the Christian worship and seeking protection for Christians.