India expels 3 Swedes for preaching Christianity
The trio participated in a faith healing, prayer program in the northeastern state of Assam while on tourist visas
A television screenshot of the Swedish citizens who were deported by Indian authorities for engaging in Christian religious activities while on tourist visas. (Source: youtube.com)
Indian authorities arrested and deported three Swedish nationals for participating in Christian religious activities while visiting the northeastern state of Assam on a tourist visa.
Hannah Mikaela Bloom, Marcus Arne Henrik Bloom and Susanna Elisabeth Hakannson were sent back to Sweden on October 28 after being arrested by police in the city of Dibrugarh on suspicion of being involved in religious conversions, according to police officials.
The trio participated in a faith healing and prayer program on October 25-27 at Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district, organized by United Churches Fellowship and Bless Assam Mission Network.
“The allegation of religious conversion is baseless. There is no truth in it as the organizers had obtained prior permission from the district administration and local police officials and the program was attended only by Christians, so where is the question of converting anyone,” said Allen Brooks, spokesperson of the Assam Christian Forum. told UCA News.
“We had no hidden agenda”
However, the Swedish nationals were fined $500 (41,500 Indian rupees) each by the Assam state authorities for violating visa rules before leaving for New Delhi on October 27, an organizer of the program told the media.
“As for the allegations of religious conversions, let the government investigate. We had no hidden agenda,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“The three Swedish citizens were invited because they are good speakers and preachers.”
Swetank Mishra, the district police chief of Dibrugarh, told reporters that the allegation was true and supported by evidence in the form of photos and video footage of the incident.
He said that the foreigners had violated the amended section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, for acting contrary to the conditions of the valid visa issued to them.
The Assam Police claimed to have refrained from registering a case against the trio due to cordial diplomatic relations between India and Sweden.
“None were converted to Christianity”
It was not the first time, the officials claimed, that attempts to convert people to Christianity under the guise of healing and prayers had occurred in the state,
In July last year, Dibrugarh police arrested evangelist Ranjan Chutia at his healing center in Moran for engaging in religious conversion
However, the organizers of the program in Naharkatia refuted all allegations of conversions. It was a public event meant for members of the local Christian community and no one was converted to Christianity, they claimed.
Christians make up 3.74 percent of Assam state’s 31 million people, which is higher than the national average of 2.3 percent.
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