{"id":2392473,"date":"2025-01-19T17:42:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T22:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/persecuted-pastor-and-wife-finally-gain-freedom-from-indian-prison\/"},"modified":"2025-01-19T17:45:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T22:45:53","slug":"persecuted-pastor-and-wife-finally-gain-freedom-from-indian-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/persecuted-pastor-and-wife-finally-gain-freedom-from-indian-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Persecuted Pastor and Wife Finally Gain Freedom from Indian Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpersecuted-pastor-and-wife-finally-gain-freedom-from-indian-prison%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2392473&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An \u2062Indian Christian\u200b pastor, \u2064Ashok Yadav, and his wife, Phoola Devi, were\u200c recently released on bail after spending 20 months in prison\u200c due to accusations related to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-persecution-increased-worldwide-in-2021\/\" title=\"Christian Persecution Increased Worldwide in 2021\">anti-conversion laws<\/a> in Uttar Pradesh. \u200cThey were arrested during a prayer service that\u2064 was disrupted by members \u200cof the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal, and they claim the allegations against them are false\u2014asserting that guests in their home planted evidence.The couple returned\u200c home shortly\u200c before Christmas, expressing joy at their release. The anti-conversion laws in the region have been tightened, increasing \u200cthe risks for individuals engaged in religious conversion activities, \u2062with numerous arrests reported under\u200b these laws. \u2064The situation for\u2063 Christians in India remains perilous, with instances of legal action and violence \u200bagainst them reported across the country. Many in the Christian community, \u2063particularly from the Dalit caste, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">face critically important societal challenges<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>An Indian Christian pastor and his wife were released on bail from prison in the country&rsquo;s Uttar Pradesh state last month, returning home shortly before Christmas as they continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/10-scandal-plagued-democrats-who-remain-on-actblue\/\" title=\"10 Scandal-Plagued Democrats Who Remain on ActBlue\">face accusations<\/a> of breaking anti-conversion laws.<\/p>\n<p>Ashok Yadav, who is a Protestant minister, along with his wife, Phoola Devi, spent 20 months in prison but were granted bail on Dec. 5, per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucanews.com\/news\/indian-pastor-wife-granted-bail-in-alleged-conversion-case\/107299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UCA News<\/a>, a Roman Catholic media outlet covering Asia.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They are very happy to be released and get home for Christmas,&rdquo; a relative said, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/christian-pastor-wife-released-from-indian-prison.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Christian Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The couple asserted in court documents that they were falsely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/situation-dire-urgent-help-requested-christians-syria-nation-descends-chaos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused<\/a> under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pope-francis-meets-with-indian-prime-minister-narendra-modi\/\" title=\"Pope Francis Meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\">anti-conversion law<\/a> in Uttar Pradesh of trying to convert guests in their house, who they say planted evidence against them, UCA News reported.<\/p>\n<p>The complainant is reportedly a member of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organization, which has its power base in the central and northern parts of India.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/worlds-2-populous-countries-dangerous-christians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hindu<\/a> nationalists reportedly joined with police to disrupt a prayer service and bring Yadav and his wife into custody, according to the Post.<\/p>\n<p>Almost 80 percent of those who live in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/exams\/current-affairs\/uppsc\/religion-in-uttar-pradesh\/#:~:text=Approximately%2080%25%20of%20the%20population%20in%20Uttar%20Pradesh%20is%20Hindu.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uttar Pradesh<\/a>, the largest state in India by population, are Hindus.<\/p>\n<p>The government of the region intensified its anti-conversion law four years ago, with more amendments in July that expose Christians who  the gospel to the threat of life imprisonment, per UCA News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In December so far, 19 people have been arrested and jailed in different parts of the state for alleged violation of the new draconian law,&rdquo; an unnamed Protestant pastor told UCA News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At least 40 bail applications of our people are pending before the high court and rest in lower courts,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>India is currently one of the nations in which Christians are most likely to face legal crackdowns or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/op-ed-christians-full-scale-attack-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">physical violence<\/a> for their faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>One report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendoors.org\/en-US\/persecution\/countries\/india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Open Doors<\/a> noted that some states in India have &ldquo;anti-forced-conversion&rdquo; laws that are in practice &ldquo;misused to punish Christians by falsely accusing them of conversion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Even in states with no anti-conversion law, police have arrested Christians for evangelistic activities,&rdquo; the report noted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is a high level of physical violence; honor killings, acid throwing, mob beatings and other atrocities happen regularly all over the country,&rdquo; Open Doors continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The rampant circulation of disinformation targeting Christian activities (such as prayer meetings or preaching) by vigilante groups on social media has created enabling conditions for mob beatings and other atrocities against Christians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Many Christians in India come from the Dalit caste, otherwise known as &ldquo;untouchables,&rdquo; and face barriers to advancement in Indian society as a result of their status.<\/p>\n<p>The Christian community in India is nevertheless the second most literate in the country.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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Ashok Yadav, a Protestant minister, and his wife Phoola Devi had been imprisoned for 20 months<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2392474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Bible.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4439,48821,48820,41109],"class_list":["post-2392473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-freedom","tag-indian-prison","tag-persecuted-pastor","tag-religious-liberty"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Bible.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2392473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2392477,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2392473\/revisions\/2392477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2392474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2392473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2392473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2392473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}