Pastor and his sister cleared of false accusations

A pastor and his sister who were falsely accused of rape and abortion charges were cleared by a court in Chhattisgarh state, according to Evangelical Fellowship of India.

Pastor Simon Tandi, a convert from Hinduism, and his sister Sanjeela Begum were acquitted by a court in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on September 12.

In June 2005, police charged the pastor for raping and forcing a girl to terminate the resultant pregnancy after she filed a complaint against him, prompted by a Hindu extremist group.

Tandi spent six months in jail, while his sister spent four months, before they were released on bail. Due to the court finding lack of evidence and differences in statement of the complainant, they freed the pastor.

Christian rights activists say, false police complaints against Christian workers in the country is common, as the Hindu extremists find this a powerful tool to subjugate Christians.