A Malayali Christian priest, his wife and 12 others were arrested late on Tuesday night, 30th December, in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district on allegations of forced religious conversion. The arrests took place during a Christmas prayer meeting and have triggered protests and strong political reactions, especially from Kerala.
The priest, identified as Father Sudhir, is associated with the Church of South India (CSI) Kerala Diocese’s Nagpur Mission. His wife Jasmine was also taken into custody. Police action came after a complaint filed by activists of the Bajrang Dal, based on which a case was registered at the Benoda police station of Amravati district.
Arrest during Christmas prayer meeting
According to the media reports, police detained the group around 8 pm while a Christmas prayer meeting was underway. After being taken to the police station, Father Sudhir, his wife and others present at the prayer gathering were formally arrested. Later, the police also arrested 12 people who had come to the station to enquire about the arrests.
Sources said all the accused are currently being held at the Benoda police station and are expected to be produced before a court soon. Church representatives who attempted to secure bail at the police station were reportedly told to approach the court instead. They also claimed that a copy of the FIR was not provided to them.
Sudhir is a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala and has been working in Maharashtra for the past five years. Of the total arrested, ten are residents of Maharashtra.
The arrests have led to widespread protests, with several Christian organisations condemning the police action. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reacted strongly to the incident, calling it “deeply disturbing”.
In a post on X, Vijayan said the arrest of a Malayali priest, his family and associates on forced conversion charges reflected a worrying pattern of targeting minorities. He alleged that such actions were being used to create polarisation and warned that they undermined constitutional freedoms.
Deeply disturbing that a Malayali Christian priest, his family and aides were arrested in Nagpur on allegations of forced conversion. This follows a worrying pattern followed by Sangh Parivar, of targeting minorities to fuel polarisation, as seen earlier in Jabalpur. Such actions…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) December 31, 2025
Church bodies extend legal support
The CSI Bishops Council had also strongly supported the arrested priest Sudhir in the case. Sabu Koshy Cherian, who is representing the CSI Bishops Council, called the arrest unacceptable. The council offered legal support.
"CSI Church condemns arrest of one of its priests over alleged forceful conversion in Nagpur."
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) December 31, 2025
– CSI Madhya Kerala Mahayidavaka Bishop Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian pic.twitter.com/J4oZPwGGd4
He said that the accused would be produced before the court at 11 am on Wednesday, 31st December. Meanwhile, a group of priests from Kerala has arrived at Nagpur to extend their support to the arrested priest and his family.
The matter has again thrown the community into the limelight over the issue of forced conversion laws and their application. This is in the wake of concerns raised by the minorities.
