Feature Image Courtesy: OpIndia
Assam Police detained three Swedish nationals on 26 October 2022 for violating their tourist visa norms by participating in Christian religious activities at a prayer meeting, including preaching and offering “blessings” with the intent to convert the Assamese locals.
Upon receiving reliable information, Assam Police had visited a church in Namrup of Assam’s Dibrugarh district, where the three Swedish nationals, identified as Marcus Arne Henrik Bloom, Hannah Mikaela Bloom and Susana Elisabeth Hakanason, were caught in the act of Christian missionary activities. They had arrived in India on October 19 and reached Assam on October 24.
“We had information that they were involved in missionary activities and were preaching at a church in Namrup. Based on the information, we collected photo and video evidence and found the allegation to be true,” Dibrugarh superintendent of police Shwetank Mishra was quoted saying in a report.
“Since they arrived on tourist visas, it was a violation of visa norms. It was also found that they violated Section 14 of the Foreigners Act (for actions in violation of visa conditions). Based on that, they were apprehended,” he added.
They were detained and later released after they paid US $500 each ( about ₹41,500 each ) in fines, a district official said.
The tourists were produced before a court and found guilty under the Foreigners Act. The court directed the deputy commissioner and the district police to arrange for their deportation.
The tourists will be sent to Guwahati today (Thursday) and subsequently deported to Sweden, Mr Chetia said.
The Church event is being organised at Achabam Ghinai 1 No. playground in Nakarkatia from October 25 to 27 by United Churches Fellowship and Bless Assam Mission Network, with permission from the local authorities. The event was dubiously named “Peace and Healing Prayer Festival” and people were invited to seek blessings and get healed in the event, but in reality, the intent of the program was to convert locals into Christianity. The Swedish nationals were caught red handed, at this event. The three were trying to lure people to convert to Christianity in the tea garden areas of the region.
Last month, Assam Police had announced that they would crack down on foreign nationals, violating visa provisions more assiduously because, they said, Bangladeshi Islamic clerics were violating tourist visa norms by organising religious meets in remote areas of the state.
More recently, 17 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in Assam’s Biswanath district, with the police claiming that muslim clerics from Bangladesh were radicalising young male residents of the state.
Assam: 3 Swedish preachers Hannah Mikaela, Marcus Arne Henrik Bloom, Susanna Elisabeth Hakanason arrested at Naharkatia by @dibrugarhpolice for violating visa norms by indulging in #Christian conversions; deportation underway.
Sensitive CM leads to sensitized Police @himantabiswa pic.twitter.com/4jTsi7sFd3— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) October 27, 2022
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