Pastor Solomon of Uttar Pradesh harassed on social media, seeks police help dealing with trolls
Since September 15, Pastor Solomon of Uttar Pradesh has been subjected to social media harassment by members of right-wing Hindu organizations. The accusations made against him online, primarily of forced conversions, cause worry over the consequences of such trolling.
Pastor Solomon serves a congregation of approximately 400 Christians in Safipur, Unnao district. For the last 15 years, he has conducted peaceful worship. Now he is concerned regarding his future work in the region.
While speaking with ICC, Pastor Solomon reflected, “when I came to know about the troll, I have prepared formal complaint and on September 16th, I along with few more pastors, went to the police station to file complaint about the troll. But, the police in charge said that I have to take action on you on the issue of forced conversions”.
Rather than finding protection or justice with the police, Pastor Solomon now worries whether he will face jail time. The authorities firmly said they cannot take the complaint or take any action in favor of the pastor.
Though currently Pastor Solomon is only experiencing harassment on social media, incidents quickly escalate to more violent or legal cases. According to Alliance Defending Freedom, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of religious attacks against Christians in the country.
This harassment also comes concurrently as many other Christian pastors have faced imprisonment in Uttar Pradesh. Authorities and radical Hindu organizations levied blasphemy charges against Christians in Pastor Solomon’s region. While some have been released on bail, the legal proceedings are ongoing and churches fear they may be attacked or closed.
photo/ VASUKI BELAVADI
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