By UCA News reporter
A group of Christian women in Raipur, the capital of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, were arrested and taken to a police station after their prayer meeting was disrupted by members of the Hindu hardline group Bajrang Dal.
The incident reportedly occurred Aug. 22, when the women gathered for prayers at a private residence. Community members said 20 to 25 Bajrang Dal activists arrived at the house accompanied by police officers and accused the women of carrying out religious conversions.
Three women were subsequently taken to a police station, where a First Information Report, or FIR, was reportedly filed against them. The exact charges could not be independently confirmed.
A police official, speaking to UCA News on condition of anonymity, said the women were taken into custody under the state’s anti-conversion law and that an investigation had been launched.
The incident has raised concern among local Christians, who say ordinary prayer meetings are increasingly being viewed with suspicion amid heightened scrutiny of alleged religious conversions.
A video recorded by a local resident shows heated exchanges at the police station, where members of the Christian community had gathered after learning of the women’s detention.
This story was originally published in ucanews.com. Read the full story here.