A Keralite priest from the CSI Church, his wife, and 10 others were arrested in Nagpur, Maharashtra, over forced religious conversion charges, sparking protests in Kerala. CSI Bishop Sabu Malayil Koshy called the arrests a "blatant violation of constitutional freedoms." He said, "Fr. Sudheer has been serving in Nagpur for 12 years, focusing on educating children and supporting local communities." The Bishop added that the works were related to Christmas worship services. The CSI Bishops’ Council strongly condemned the police action. The arrests came a day after bishops met the Vice-President, urging protection for Christians. Bishop Koshy demanded a strong response from the ruling political party, warning, "The silence of political leadership and the government in the face of attacks on Christians sends the wrong message to the perpetrators." Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the incident deeply disturbing and linked it to a pattern by the Sangh Parivar to target minorities. Opposition leader V. D. Satheesan wrote to the Prime Minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister, stating, "Arresting individuals for conducting a peaceful prayer meeting is unconstitutional and contrary to our democratic and secular values." The incident follows attacks on Christians in North India during Christmas and puts BJP on the defensive ahead of Kerala’s assembly elections. The Catholic Church criticized the Prime Minister for his "silence" on these attacks. Meanwhile, the CSI South Kerala diocese is working to secure the release of Fr. Sudheer and his wife. Fr. Jayan confirmed the diocese has contacted Fr. Sudheer and is actively supporting him.