Gender: Male
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Caste: Dalit
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: February/24/2022
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Reporting on Religious Freedom Conditions or Documenting Religious Freedom Violations
Nature of Charges: Hate Speech
Kishor Ram
Extra Bio Info:
Kishor Ram was detained for reporting on religious freedom conditions.
On February 24, 2022, authorities arrested Ram, who is a member of the Dalit community and a journalist known for reporting on marginalized classes and lower caste issues, after he reported on the death of a Dalit youth and the rape of two Dalit underage girls. Police accused Ram of “asking caste of people” and speaking about the “killing of people belonging to SC by upper caste people” when interviewing the victims' families. Ram was charged with "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc." (Sec. 153A IPC).
On an unspecified date, Ram was released a month after his arrest.
Publicly Available Information:
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USCIRF Tweet May 3, 2022
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"Press bodies condemn arrest of journalist Kishor Ram in Uttarakhand, call for his release" Scroll.in
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"Indian authorities arrest journalists Kishor Ram and Fahad Shah" Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Gender: Unspecified
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/5/2021
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Conversion
Adya
Extra Bio Info:
Adya was detained in relation to her religious belief and activity.
On December 5, 2021, authorities arrested Adya and five others after they were accused of trying to forcibly convert people to Christianity. They were charged under Madhya Pradesh's 2021 Freedom of Religion Act.
On January 17, 2022, the Indore High Court granted Adya bail. Adya was released around this time.
Related Cases: Ranga Ben, Sama Ben, Saju Ben, Kumtu Vasuniya, Ramesh Vasuniya
Publicly Available Information:
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"A Christian pastor’s plight points to a community under siege in Madhya Pradesh" Scroll.in
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"Nine Christians in Central India Arrested on False Forced Conversion Charges" International Christian Concern (ICC)
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"Investigation: How VHP and Madhya Pradesh police colluded to put a Christian pastor in jail" Scroll.in
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: India
Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: December/5/2021
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Conversion
Ranga Ben
Extra Bio Info:
Ranga Ben was detained in relation to her religious belief and activity.
On December 5, 2021, authorities arrested Ben and five others after they were accused of trying to forcibly convert people to Christianity. They were charged under Madhya Pradesh's 2021 Freedom of Religion Act.
On January 17, 2022, the Indore High Court granted Ben bail. Ben was released around this time.
Related Cases: Ramesh Vasuniya, Kumtu Vasuniya, Sama Ben, Adya, Saju Ben
Publicly Available Information:
-
"A Christian pastor’s plight points to a community under siege in Madhya Pradesh" Scroll.in
-
"Nine Christians in Central India Arrested on False Forced Conversion Charges" International Christian Concern (ICC)
-
"Investigation: How VHP and Madhya Pradesh police colluded to put a Christian pastor in jail" Scroll.in