Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday (December 8, 2025) claimed that Pakistan is a “peaceful nation” but warned that no one would be allowed to test Islamabad's territorial integrity or sovereignty
Rajasthan: Two Christian missionaries booked in Kota under new anti-conversion law
The Rajasthan Police on Thursday registered the first case under the state's new anti-conversion law, booking two Christian missionaries in Kota for allegedly encouraging people to convert during a three-day religious gathering at Beersheba Church earlier this month, The Hindu reported
The first information report was filed at the Borkheda police station on complaints by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, who accused pastors Chandy Varghese from New Delhi and Arun John from Kota of promoting religious conversions through allurement, making offensive remarks about the Hindu community and describing the Rajasthan government as the “devil's kingdom”.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are part of a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Videos shared on social media show Varghese allegedly saying: “People of Rajasthan will soon be free from worshipping the devil and the reign of devil will end, God will rule in Rajasthan.”
The case against the two men has been registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita related to deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings and the 2025 Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
The event was held from November 4 to November 6. The police said videos and livestream clips from there are being examined as part of the investigation, and statements from those who attended the event will be recorded.
John, one of the pastors, told The Hindu that the police had asked him and Varghese to respond to notices within three days.
“We have nothing to hide [about the programme],” he said. “Its videos are already in the public domain. No illegal activity was carried out at the gathering.”
Rajasthan enacted the anti-conversion law in October after the state Assembly passed the Bill in September. The legislation introduced stringent penalties to prevent religious conversions such as life imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 1 crore. Notably, those returning to their “ancestral religion” have been exempted from provision of the law.
Rajasthan is the 12th state to have an anti-conversion law. The other states that have such laws are Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Critics have said that such laws are used to target religious minorities and inter-faith couples.
Source: Scroll
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Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday (December 8, 2025) claimed that Pakistan is a “peaceful nation” but warned that no one would be allowed to test Islamabad's territorial integrity or sovereignty
3 months ago
