By: The Wire Staff Published in: *The Wire* Date: January 1, 2026 Source: https://thewire.in/communalism/deeply-disturbing-kerala-cm-on-arrest-of-malayali-priest-wife-and-10-others-in-nagpur
They were arrested on allegations of forced religious conversion during a Christmas prayer meeting in Nagpur. The complaints were filed by Bajrang Dal workers. *New Delhi: *The arrest of a Malayali priest of the CSI Church, his family and others from Nagpur in Maharashtra has sparked outrage in Kerala and drawn strong reactions from political leaders and church authorities. The priest, Father Sudhir, a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district who has been serving in Maharashtra for the last five years, was arrested along with his wife Jasmine and 10 others on allegations of forced religious conversion around 8 pm on Tuesday, December 29, during a Christmas prayer meeting. The complaints were filed by Bajrang Dal workers, according to a report <https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/nagpur-arrest-of-csi-priest-draws-sharp-reactions-from-kerala-leaders> by *The News Minute*. They also reportedly staged a protest outside Banod police station in Nagpur, demanding legal action against the priest. A case was registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, invoking charges including “hurting religious sentiments.” Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed concern over the incident in a post on X <https://x.com/pinarayivijayan/status/2006269444939735077?s=46>. “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 the Sangh Parivar of targeting minorities to fuel polarisation, as seen earlier in Jabalpur. Such actions undermine constitutional freedoms,” he said. According to *The Hindu *report <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/malayali-priest-seven-others-get-bail-in-conversion-case/article70457153.ece>, the incident occurred just a day after bishops met the vice president and urged to take action against the rising number of attacks on Christians. Bishop Sabu Malayil Koshy, the secretary of CSI Bishops’ Council, condemned the arrests as a blatant violation of constitutional freedoms. “Fr. Sudheer has been serving in Maharashtra’s Nagpur, focusing on educating children and supporting local communities,” he said, and demanded that the political party in power respond decisively. Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition in Kerala, V.D. Satheesan, too raised similar concerns. In a letter to the prime minister as well as the Maharashtra chief minister, he wrote, “This incident raises serious concerns about the violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, particularly the freedom to profess, practise, and propagate religion. Arresting individuals for conducting a peaceful prayer meeting is unconstitutional and contrary to the spirit of our democratic and secular values.” The incident comes amid a series of recent attacks on Christians. *The Wire *has reported how in many states across the country, particularly Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled ones, Christmas celebrations by Christians were attacked by Hindutva mobs who tore down Santa Claus decorations in schools, public grounds, church precincts and in streets where hawkers sold little Christmas adornments and toys. Whereas in Assam, they were identified <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/four-arrested-for-pre-christmas-vandalism-in-assam-school/article70438723.ece> as members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, the local BJP vice-president tore off the Santa mask off a visually impaired woman’s face <https://thewire.in/communalism/targeted-attacks-disrupt-christmas-prayer-meetings-in-madhya-pradesh-catholic-groups-condemn> in a widely reported incident.
