Overview
- Father Sudheer of the CSI South Kerala Diocese, his wife Jasmine, and several others received conditional bail from a Maharashtra court after their arrest on forced-conversion allegations.
- Police detained the group following Bajrang Dal complaints during a Christmas prayer gathering in Shinkori village, Amravati district, and registered a case citing hurting religious sentiments under BNS Section 299.
- CSI Bishop Sabu Malayil Koshy condemned the arrests as a violation of constitutional freedoms and the church dispatched a team to provide legal assistance.
- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the episode deeply disturbing, and Opposition leader V. D. Satheesan wrote to senior leaders in Delhi and Mumbai seeking redress.
- Outrage from church bodies and protests in Kerala have grown, with commentary warning of potential electoral repercussions for the BJP and the Catholic daily Deepika criticizing the Prime Minister's silence.