Radicalized police in Uttar Pradesh state, located in Northern India, have arrested a Christian pastor for owning a Bible, the Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

When police arrested Bajarang Rawat, 47, a convert from Hinduism in July, they initially charged him with allurement, stating that he was using inducements to entice people to become Christian, which is illegal in India.

Rawat was pastoring a growing congregation in the regional market area of Mohanlalganj made up of 113 villages.

However, when police were unable to find anyone to testify against Rawat, they resorted to charging him with owning a Bible.

According to MSN, the judge overseeing the case told the police laying the charge that it was not illegal to own a Bible and that he owned one himself.

Despite this ruling, the police refused to release Rawat and kept him in jail for 23 days before releasing him on bail.

While in jail, Hindu radicals attacked Rawat’s family and drove them from their family home. They also destroyed Rawat’s business stall, his source of family income.

According to MSN, Hindu nationalists had been pressuring police to arrest Rawat accusing him of brainwashing people to leave Hinduism.

READ: Pastor jailed 23 days for owning Bible; radical Hindus angered Christians aren’t ‘worshiping idols’ push for prosecution