Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday expressed relief after a Kerala-born pastor and others arrested in Maharashtra over alleged religious conversion were granted bail, and urged that the case be resolved without delay.

Reacting on X on January 3, Tharoor wrote:

“Relieved to learn yesterday that Father Sudhir William, a priest from Thiruvananthapuram working for the CSI South Kerala Diocese (Nagpur Mission), his wife Jasmine, and several others who were arrested on December 30, 2025, have been granted bail in the New Year.”

He said the arrests took place during a Christmas prayer meeting at a private residence in Shingori village, Amravati district, near Nagpur.

“They were arrested at Shingori village in the Amravati district (near Nagpur), Maharashtra, during a Christmas prayer meeting held at a local resident's home.”

According to Tharoor, the case was registered following a complaint by activists linked to the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

“The arrests were made following a complaint by activists from the Bajrang Dal and VHP, alleging ‘forced religious conversion’. Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for acts intended to outrage religious feelings.”

Referring to the position of the Church, Tharoor said:

“The CSI South Kerala Diocese has maintained that the priest was simply attending a Christmas prayer and a birthday celebration and that no forced conversions took place.”

He also highlighted the standing of the Church body involved, stating:

“Indeed the well established @csisynod, which enjoys an excellent reputation in my constituency, has no record of actively promoting conversions.”

“As Father William’s MP, I hope the case is speedily disposed of,” he added.

What happened in Amravati

Police in Maharashtra’s Amravati district arrested eight people, including Sudhir William, a native of Thiruvananthapuram residing in Nagpur, after a complaint alleged that money was offered to villagers to induce conversion to Christianity.

The complaint was lodged by Lakshman Shede, a resident of Warud, around 80 km from Amravati. He alleged that five to six persons gathered at the house of local resident Ritesh Bondre on December 30, erected a pandal, and addressed villagers. According to the complaint, a person dressed in white preached about Christianity and attempted to lure attendees with money to change their faith.

Based on the complaint, the in-charge of Benoda police station brought eight persons in for questioning. They were later formally arrested and produced before a local court, which granted them bail.

The accused were identified as Bondre; Anandkumar Karri of Nagpur; Sudhir William; Vikram Sande of Nagpur; and four women. Police sources said William is a pastor. The case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 299, relating to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and 302, concerning uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings.