On 5th December, Gorakhpur Police arrested two individuals, including a woman, for attempting to coerce and entice Hindu women into converting to Christianity. The incident took place in Brahmsari village under Belghat police station limits. According to media reports, the incident took place during a family ceremony. OpIndia accessed the FIR registered in the matter.
Attempt to convert around 30 women
A Mundan ceremony was being held at the house of a woman named Sita Devi. She told media that the accused arrived in the village on Thursday during her grandson’s Mundan ceremony. They gathered around 30 women from economically weaker families. They promised a more comfortable life, cash benefits, relief from suffering and freedom from adversity if the women agreed to convert to Christianity. When some of the women objected, the accused reportedly attempted to intimidate them.
Members of Bajrang Dal were informed about the incident who rushed to the village. Police were called and an FIR was registered based on the complaint of a Bajrang Dal activist. Two accused, identified as Pradeep Kumar and Rina Devi of Deoria, were arrested by the police. They were presented before the court on Friday and remanded to judicial custody.
What the FIR says
The FIR has been registered on the complaint of Bittu Jaiswal, district co-convenor of Bajrang Dal Gorakhpur Rural, under Sections 318, 61 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
In his complaint, Jaiswal said that he received information from Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) divisional organisation minister Nikhil Tomari about the conversion activity taking place in the Harijan settlement of Brahmsari village.
He said that Pradeep and Rina gathered around 25-40 women at Sita’s house and created “psychological pressure” by offering comfort, cash, divine blessings and the promise of liberation from hardship. The accused were promoting Christianity using a Bible, leading prayers and threatening women who refused to comply. Many of the women present were from Scheduled Caste communities.
Jaiswal said that the accused were “pretending to serve the community” while attempting to convert women for their “conspiracy”. He added that such activities could lead vulnerable women to abandon Hinduism which is harmful to social and national interest.
Speaking to media, Station House Officer (SHO) of Belghat Police Station, Vikas Nath, said that the matter is extremely sensitive and the allegations are serious. Police are examining if more individuals were involved in the operation. Further investigation into the matter is underway and action will follow based on evidence uncovered during the probe.