Assam: 2 US nationals held in Tezpur for violating visa norms, fined for propagating Christianity

Two American citizens named John Matthew Bone and Michael James Flinchum were detained by Assam Police on February 2 for engaging in activities that violated their visa conditions. The duo was accused of propagating Christianity despite being in India on tourist visas, which legally do not permit any form of religious preaching or propagation.

The Sonitpur police acted upon receiving complaints from residents of the Tezpur area and apprehended the individuals at the Baptist Christian Hospital. A case was registered against them at the Kacharigaon police station under GDE 03/24, citing their participation in religious events and delivering speeches organized by church associations as a breach of visa rules.

Speaking to India TodayNE, Sonitpur Superintendent of Police Susanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that each of the US nationals was fined $500 for their unauthorized religious activities. Additionally, they were fined Rs 41,486 in Indian currency. Although no formal case was registered, the Ministry of External Affairs was notified of the incident, and the two Americans were warned against further involvement in religious functions.

"We apprehended them the day before yesterday. The two U.S. tourists were engaged in preaching, so we imposed a fine of $500 each, in accordance with Visa regulations", said SP Susanta Biswa Sarma.

In earlier incident, in October 2022, seven German nationals and three Swedish nationals were also detained in Assam for flouting visa norms by participating in missionary activities. These cases highlight ongoing concerns about foreign nationals entering Assam on tourist visas and subsequently engaging in religious preaching, particularly in tribal and tea garden areas, which has been a point of contention among local Hindu organizations.

The Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had previously appealed to religious communities to refrain from converting Hindus under the guise of providing education and health facilities. This appeal came amidst claims that Christian missionaries from various countries visit the northeastern states as tourists and engage in conversion activities by violating visa norms.

Also read: Wish Assam to be known globally for its development not agitations: Himanta Biswa Sarma