Pastors Om Prakash, Ajay Kumar Kapil Dev Ram, were released on bail in late January, but still face charges said to be fabricated.
Kumar called their time in jail — a nightmare. Adding….”We did not know when a mob would wake us in the middle of the night and torment us.”
The pastors were accused of forceful conversion by Hindu extremists who disrupted their Nov. 26 worship service.
In spite of the ordeal, the pastors managed to explain the Gospel to many prisoners, one of whom professed faith in Christ.
Kumar said they faced the same kind of Hindu nationalist opposition in jail as when free.
He told Morning Star, “We did not lie when our co-prisoners asked us the reason for us being in jail, and when we told them that it’s a case of [forcible] conversion, they despised us and spread the word around.”
They faced continuous threats, including warnings that they would not be spared after their release.
The pastors were charged under Indian Penal Code sections for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
A witness in the case later retracted his story, saying in a sworn affidavit that he was confused when he made the complaint and later learned that no conversion was taking place. Rather, the pastors had led a prayer meeting.
India is ranked 10th on a List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.