Four Christians, including a pastor, have been arrested for allegedly converting people with illicit promises of material rewards.

The incident occurred in India’s most populous state of nearly 200 million people where Christians make up a miniscule 0.18 percent of the population.

Uttar Pradesh, like the national government, is run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization.

Two Hindu activists intervened in a prayer meeting and informed the police, alleging forced religious conversion through allurement.

They claimed a Christian pastor and three local villagers had converted as many as 60 people of 15 Hindu families to Christianity and were trying to do the same with other villagers.

He alleged they give people money as well as fridges, televisions, bicycles, motorcycles and sewing machines for converting.

He said free evangelical churches gather people for prayer and pastors pray over the people for healing, adding, “miracles do occur.”

“These prayer meetings are alleged to be conversion meetings. The truth is that the pastors do not baptise people after the enactment of the new ordinance”.