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In a significant development, ten individuals, including a church priest, were arrested for allegedly attempting mass conversion to Christianity through allurement in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh. The incident, which led to the arrests, occurred at Saint Mathews Methodist Church in Deva area, prompting the police to invoke the state’s anti-conversion law.
Arrested, Including Priest, under UP Anti-Conversion Law. The police, accompanied by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vijay Kumar Trivedi, conducted a raid on the church’s conference hall, where approximately 200 people, predominantly from Scheduled Caste communities, had assembled upon the priest’s invitation, according to Barabanki (city) Circle Officer Beenu Singh.
The accused were reportedly brought from Ayodhya under the pretext of religious healing for their ailments and were enticed with job opportunities. The priest, assisted by others, allegedly sought to convert them to Christianity through worshipping in the church.
Most attendees were illiterate, and the officer emphasized that they couldn’t comprehend the true intent behind the gathering. The priest allegedly made false claims about healing through religious practices to facilitate the conversion.
Those arrested include the church priest, Father Dominic, along with Sarju Prasad Gautam, Pawan Kumar, Sunil Pasi, Ghanshyam Gautam, Surendra Paswan, Rahul Paswan, Ramcharan Rawat, Dharmendra Kori, and Suraj Gautam. The accused were presented before the court on Tuesday and subsequently placed in judicial custody.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) district president Brijesh Kumar Vaish and Bajrang Dal district convener Akhand Pratap Singh lodged a complaint, resulting in the registration of an FIR against 15 identified and several unidentified individuals at the Deva police station.
Charges have been filed under sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Act, 2021, also known as the anti-conversion law. Section 3 prohibits conversion through misrepresentation, undue influence, allurement, or fraudulent means, while section 5(1) mandates a declaration about religious conversion at least 60 days in advance to the district magistrate or the ADM.
Arrested, Including Priest, under UP Anti-Conversion Law. Apart from the 10 arrested individuals, the FIR includes Lucknow residents Suzzane Daniel and DJ Joesph as main speakers who managed to escape before the police arrived. Additionally, Aahuti, Sangeeta Gautam, and Sona Rawat were involved in organizing the gathering. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused, with an ongoing investigation into the incident.
