Arrest of Keralite priest in Nagpur sparks protests, political backlash in Kerala

The arrest of a Keralite priest under the CSI Church, his wife, and 10 others in Nagpur in Maharashtra on charges of forced religious conversion has sparked widespread outrage in Kerala, igniting protests and political uproar.

CSI Bishop Sabu Malayil Koshy, secretary of the CSI Bishops’ Council, here on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) strongly condemned the action, calling it a blatant violation of constitutional freedoms. “Fr.Sudhir has been serving in Maharshtra Nagpur for the past 12 years, focusing on educating children and supporting local communities,” he said.

Holding that the works of Fr. Sudheer has significantly contributed to the development of several villages, the Bishop also noted that the activities in question were simply Christmas-related worship services. “The CSI Bishops’ Council strongly condemns this police action,” he added.

The incident came just a day after Christian bishops met the Vice President of India, urging action against attacks on Christians. Bishop Koshy also demanded that the political party in power respond decisively.

“The silence of political leadership and the government in the face of attacks on Christians sends the wrong message to perpetrators,” the secretary warned. “Such inaction, especially when a response is needed, indirectly encourages these actions.” The CSI Church has also pledged full legal support to those affected and stressed that it is closely monitoring such wrongful actions across India.

Political leaders in Kerala too have voiced strong concern over the incident. In a social media post, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the incident as deeply disturbing. “This follows a worrying pattern by the Sangh Parivar of targeting minorities to fuel polarisation, as seen earlier in Jabalpur. Such actions undermine constitutional freedoms.”

Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan has written to both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. “This incident raises serious concerns about the violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, particularly the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion. Arresting individuals for conducting a peaceful prayer meeting is unconstitutional and contrary to the spirit of our democratic and secular values,” he wrote.

The episode, coming on the heels of incidents anti-Christian attacks in north India during Christmas, appears to have put the BJP on the defensive. With Assembly elections just months away in Kerala, the arrests threaten to impact the party’s political traction among Christians in Central Travancore.

Adding further pressure, the Catholic Church has also issued a scathing critique of the Prime Minister for his “silence” on these attacks through its official mouthpiece Deepika.

Meanwhile, Church of South India (CSI) South Kerala diocese’s Board for Mission joint director Fr. Jayan told The Hindu that steps were being taken under the leadership of diocese secretary T.T. Praveen to free the Keralite priest and his wife.

Fr. Jayan said the diocese had got in touch with Fr. Sudheer.