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Church demands release of pastor

Officials say charges of forcing conversions are false, decry 'ban on lawyers'
Church demands release of pastor
Published: November 24, 2011 09:36 AM GMT
Updated: November 24, 2011 10:27 AM GMT

The Church of North India is demanding the release of one of its pastors arrested in Kashmir last week on proselytization charges.

Pastor C.M. Khanna of the All India Saints Church in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir was arrested on November 19 in Srinagar for allegedly trying to force 10 Muslim youths to convert to Christianity. He was held after police examined a video which allegedly showed him converting the youths. Since his arrest lawyers in the Kashmir valley have been prevented by the state bar association from representing the pastor, Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of Amritsar said yesterday. He said the allegations against the pastor have been concocted and denied the youths were forced to convert. “The youths were baptized but were not forced to convert,” the bishop said adding that “these youths have been coming to the pastor’s church for more than a year and I myself have seen them there.” Yesterday a Church of North India (CNI) delegation met with Federal Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullapally Ramachandran to try and secure Pastor Khanna’s release. “We demanded the government’s immediate intervention for the release of the pastor and protection of churches and Christians in the state,” said the general secretary of the CNI synod, Alwyn Masih, who was part of the delegation. He said the minister claimed the issue was “very sensitive in nature,” but said he will look into the matter. Masih said he has also written to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the state chief minister, Omar Abdullah, about the case. The issue is not just about the arrest of the pastor as the team investigating the case has as also asked for records of all Christian institutions in Srinagar, he added. Related Reports: Kerala police arrest Pentecostal pastor  

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