Six carol singers have been arrested in India after they were accused of trying to convert people to Christianity, according to the Christian charity Open Doors.

The carol singers, one of whom is reportedly a professor at a Catholic theological college, insisted that they were merely singing songs.

But a Hindu man alleged he had been told to 'worship Jesus Christ' and was offered money to convert to Christianity.

According to a spokesperson from the Indian Catholic Church, the group of seminary students and two priests were initially detained, as were a further eight priests who went to help.

A car used by the carol singers was later set on fire by suspected activists from a Hindu extremist group, Bajrang Dal.

According to Open Doors, police released the Christians around 2am on December 16, but asked the ten priests and three seminarians to report to the station at 7am on that same morning.

The incident took place in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which has some of the strictest anti-conversion laws in the country, Open Doors reported.

India has been governed by a Hindu-nationalist government for the past two and a half years, since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi came to power in May 2014.

Since then, Open Doors has reported worsening conditions for Christians and those from other minority faiths, including more frequent attacks against their places of worship and discriminatory laws, including anti-conversion measures and bans on the sale or consumption of beef.

India is number 15 on Open Doors World Watch List of places where it is difficult to be a Christian.