The family of an American Christian pastor are reaching out to US senators to secure his freedom after his passport was confiscated following his arrest at Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal.
Pastor Bryan Nerren was arrested on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Nerren, a native of Tennessee, has been associated with a non-profit group called the Asian Children's Education Fellowship, which has reportedly been training church Sunday school teachers in India and Nepal for 17 years. The American Center for Law and Justice, which fights legal cases related to religious liberty, has given publicity to Nerren's case.
Nerren and two other pastors from the US arrived in New Delhi on October 5 to attend conferences in India and Nepal. According to the ACLJ, Nerren and his two associates were to work with 10 Indian Christian ministers in Bagdogra. According to the ACLJ, Nerren was carrying "funds to cover the expenses for the 2 conferences with 1,000 attendees, as well as for expenses for the 13 ministers for their 2 week trip". However, the amount of money Nerren was carrying was not specified.
Nerren was questioned by customs officials in Delhi Airport about the purpose of the money. According to ACLJ, Nerren was reportedly asked whether the funds would be used to “support Christian causes”. Nerren was cleared to travel to Bagdogra with the money. He was arrested by customs officials in Bagdogra and taken to Siliguri. Nerren was released on bail after six days, but his passport was confiscated and he was barred from travelling. A court is scheduled to take up Nerren's case on December 12.
also read
- BJP uses West Bengal govt report to attack TMC over 'embezzlement' of PMAY funds
- RG Kar rape-murder: Kolkata court frames charges against accused Sanjay Roy, trial to begin on...
- Bengali community irked by 'The Great Indian Kapil Show' 'disrespecting' Tagore’s song 'Ekla Cholo Re'
- West Bengal: TMC struggles with infighting ahead of November 13 bypolls
The ACLJ alleged Nerren is "essentially being held hostage in India for his Christian faith".
WKRN-TV, a TV station in Tennessee, reported on Tuesday that Nerren's wife, Rhonda, and CeCe Heil, a lawyer with ACLJ, will be meeting US Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn on Wednesday. Heil told WKRN-TV “The judge retained his passport, and had a travel ban placed on him,” she said. “So he’s basically being held captive in Siliguri India.”