Nationalist groups file a complaint with police against an evangelical association promoting inmates’ dignity. They see this as a way to convert, and want such associations banned from prisons.
Bangalore (AsiaNews) – The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, two Hindu nationalist groups, filed a complaint with the police in Gadag, a district in the Indian state of Karnataka, because copies of the Bible were given to prison inmates.
The incident came to light after a member of one of these groups visited a prisoner and gathered pictures and copies of the Bible and destroyed them.
According to the complaint, seven evangelical Christians visited the Gadag district prison on 12 March, where they prayed and distributed copies of the New Testament.
For Hindu nationalists, this is tantamount to religious conversions and criticised prison authorities for allowing it. In view of this, they demand immediate action against Christian missionaries.
Prison Ministry India is an evangelical organisation that operates nationwide. Its goal is to bear witness to the truth. It values every person, even those in prisons, in a country where the prison population often lives in squalid conditions and overcrowded facilities.
Although many Hindu NGOs also visit prisons, right-wing Hindu nationalist groups prefer to target and intimidate Christian groups.