By Omar Rashid
New Delhi: The allure of free coaching for the civil services, free meals and treatment of illnesses – these are the charges levelled in three recent cases in Uttar Pradesh where police have booked people for allegedly converting Hindus to Christianity through unlawful means. At least two of these cases were lodged on the complaints of Hindutva activists.
On October 2, police in Rampur district arrested four persons under UP’s anti-conversion law for allegedly trying to lure Hindu boys and girls to convert to Christianity by exposing them to Christian prayers at a coaching centre. Police said they arrested Himanshu Max, the manager of the coaching centre, in Khata Chintman village, along with a teacher Ashutosh and two other men. Max is a native of Uttarakhand.
Bhim Singh, the complainant in the case, said he had been studying at the centre for three months. In his complaint to the police, Singh, also a resident of Uttarakhand, alleged that the coaching centre would get poor Hindu girls and boys admitted through the allurement of free food and coaching for civil services examinations.
Singh alleged that Max and others tried to lure them to convert to Christianity by promising them free education and employment at par with their educational qualifications.
In the FIR, seen by The Wire, Singh also alleged that the manager and teacher at the centre took classes for civil services only for 30 minutes to 1 hour per day. The rest of the time, he alleged, was spent on teaching about the Bible and Jesus Christ and “praising the Christian faith,” calling it the best religion.
Every Sunday, they would hold a prayer meeting in a hall where along with the students, poor men and women from the neighbouring areas were also invited, said Singh. He alleged that the accused persons has converted some poor Hindus to Christianity through a number of allurements.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.