Two United States (US) nationals were detained and fined last week in Assam’s Sonitpur district for allegedly participating in a “religious meet” while in India on tourist visa.
Sonitpur Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Madhurima Das said that the police has informed the Foreigner Regional Registration Office in Kolkata of their alleged violation of visa norms and that it is likely that the US nationals will be issued Leave-India notices. A fine of $500 was imposed on them, and they were released thereafter.
The two US nationals, identified as John Matthew Boone and Michael James Flinchum, had attended the inauguration of a Baptist Christian association office on January 31.
“A Baptist association had held a building inauguration function in Tezpur and Baptist leaders from different parts of Assam had gathered there. The two US nationals were also present there. The building itself is incomplete, it is half-done, so we have to say that they had come for conversion activities. Since they were in the country on tourist visas, they cannot participate in any religious meet,” said ASP Das.
In October 2022, the Assam government had instructed the Superintendents of Police of all districts in the state to monitor foreigners who participate in conversion activities in violation of visa norms, and to monitor religious gatherings and the travel documents of foreigners who attend them.
This instruction was followed by the detention and deportation of 27 Bangladeshi, Swedish and German foreign nationals in the span of about a month for preaching at religious events in Assam.
The detention of two US nationals comes days after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had spoken about protecting “indigenous faiths” from conversion activities as he spoke at the 8th International Conference and Gathering of Elders organised by the International Centre for Cultural Studies in Dibrugarh.
Story continues below this ad
“Unfortunately, indigenous communities in India often become the target of conversion efforts by mainstream religions. Missionary activities carried out by various religious groups can result in a decline in population who practise indigenous faith,” news agency PTI quoted Sarma.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
