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By Omar Rashid
New Delhi: The controversial anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh enacted in 2021 continues to serve as a source of harassment for several sections of the population in the state. Its powers have been enhanced by an inconsistent view taken by courts in several rulings, on who exactly is empowered to make a complaint alleging ‘forced conversions.’
On July 13, Moradabad police (in Uttar Pradesh) arrested a Christian pastor and three others on charges of unlawfully converting marginalised Hindus to Christianity through allurements and inducements.
The police booked pastor Kulwant Singh, a resident of Udhamsingh Nagar in Uttarakhand, and three locals – Jaypal, Amarjeet and Mukesh – under the anti-conversion law. According to the FIR lodged at Thakurdwara police station, the three men were accused of regularly holding Christian satsangs in the village Ramanwala with the intent to convert Hindus and deter them from carrying out Hindu puja in their homes. The FIR, seen by The Wire alleges that they would summon Kulwant Singh from the neighbouring state and try to “lure Hindus to Christianity by offering them cash, refrigerators, televisions, cycles, motorcycles and sewing machines,”
Each person who converted would receive Rs 25,000 while the pastor would get Rs 35,000 and other emoluments through “outside funding” for the conversions, the FIR alleges.
Who complained?
What is notable, however, was that the police did not lodge the criminal case on the complaint of any of the alleged persons who were unlawfully converted, or so to say, the aggrieved.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.