Guwahati:
Two American nationals, John Matthew Bone and Michael James Flinchum, were arrested by the Assam Police for violating their visa conditions, police sources said.
Religious preaching is banned under visa rules and the men were arrested on February 2 at the Christian Baptist Hospital in Tezpur. Action was taken after residents lodged a complaint, police sources added.
The men were fined $500 each and the district police forwarded the case filed at the Kacharigaon police station to the police headquarters. It is likely that US nationals will be deported, sources said.
On January 31, the men attended the inauguration of the North Bank Baptist Christian Association office at the Baptish Mission Complex in Tezpur.
Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police Madhurima Das said the two American citizens took part in a religious meeting on February 1 at the Baptist Christian Mission Hospital, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
“Police arrested them after getting information. We investigated and found out that they were involved in the religious gathering,” she was quoted as saying.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier asked religious communities to avoid converting indigenous people.
“Unfortunately, indigenous communities in India often become targets of conversion efforts by dominant religions,” the Chief Minister said.
In October 2022, seven German nationals and three Swedish nationals were arrested from Golaghat and Dibrugarh districts of Assam for allegedly flouting visa norms by engaging in missionary activities.
The police took them to Guwahati and then deported them.
