Evangelists Arrested in Rajasthan for Alleged Mass Conversion Attempt

• 14 Feb 2024

Why in News?

Recently, an incident happened in Rajasthan, where two evangelists were arrested and eight others were detained for allegedly trying to convert hundreds of people to Christianity by offering them money and healing.

Key Points

• The incident took place in Bharatpur, where the evangelists had organised a large-scale programme with 450-500 people.
• The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), claimed that the evangelists used objectionable language against Hindu gods and misleading people.
• The police arrested two of the evangelists, identified and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings, and causing hurt.
• The police also detained eight other people held under preventive measures of section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and later released on bail.

Preventive Detention

• Preventive detention means detention of a person without trial and conviction by a court.
• Its purpose is not to punish a person for a past offense but to prevent him from committing an offense in the near future.
• The detention of a person cannot exceed three months unless an advisory board reports sufficient cause for extended detention.
• Protection:
  • Article 22 grants protection to persons who are arrested or detained.
    • Article 22 has two parts—the first part deals with the cases of ordinary law and the second part deals with the cases of preventive detention law.

Freedom of Religion

• Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India.
  • Article 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion).
  • Article 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs).
  • Article 27 (Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any religion).
  • Article 28 (Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions).