A Christian priest from Kerala, G Godwin, was arrested in Madhya Pradesh in a case of alleged illegal religious conversion and was later granted bail, sources from his church said.
Godwin, who belongs to the Thiruvananthapuram-based Church of South India, has been engaged in charitable activities in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua for the last 12 years.
Originally from Malayankeezh in Thiruvananthapuram, 50-year-old Godwin was arrested on October 25.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote a letter to his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Mohan Yadav, requesting him to “look into the matter personally and ensure that Father Godwin is not subjected to any kind of harassment and there is no arbitrary action on the part of any officials.”
Vijayan said that he has been informed that Godwin has been engaged in many charitable activities in the region.
Church of South India secretary T T Praveen said the allegation related to religious conversion is baseless. “I had spoken to Godwin and he does not know why he was arrested,” said Praveen.
