GUWAHATI: Assam Police detained two US nationals in central Assam’s Sonitpur district for allegedly propagating Christianity without required permission.
The duo – John Matthew Bone and Michael James Flinchum – was apprehended on February 3 following complaints from local residents in the Tezpur area.
Sonitpur Superintendent of Police, Susanta Biswa Sarma, told the local press that the individuals were fined Rs 41,000 each for their alleged attempt to propagate Christianity without proper permission.
The US nationals were on tourist visas, which prohibit engaging in religious activities or spreading religious ideologies.
“We called them to the police station and imposed fines of $500 each,” SP Sarma told the local press.
However, despite this action, the police did not register a formal case against Bone and Flinchum.
It remains to be seen if the US nationals would be deported to their native country or would be held back for further investigation.
This incident follows a similar occurrence in October 2022 when seven German nationals and three Swedish nationals were held in upper Assam’s Golaghat and Dibrugarh districts.
They were accused of flouting visa rules by attending religious functions and delivering speeches at functions organised by church associations, the police had said.
