Guwahati: Two US nationals, John Matthew Bone and Michael James Flinchum, have been detained by the Assam Police for violating their visa conditions, police sources said.
Religious preaching is barred under visa rules and the men were detained on February 2 at the Baptist Christian Hospital in Tezpur. Action was taken after the locals filed a complaint, police sources added.
The men were fined $500 each, and the district police have forwarded the case filed at Kacharigaon police station to the police headquarters. It is likely that the 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 US citizens took part in a religious meeting on February 1 at Baptist Christian Mission Hospital, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
"The police detained them after getting information. We conducted a probe and found them involved in the religious gathering," she was quoted as saying.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had previously asked religious communities to avoid converting indigenous people.
"Unfortunately, indigenous communities in India often become the target of conversion efforts by mainstream religions," the Chief Minister had said.
In October 2022, seven German nationals and three Swedish nationals were detained from Assam's Golaghat and Dibrugarh districts for allegedly flouting visa norms by indulging in missionary activities.
The police took them to Guwahati and later deported them.