In the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, the police have booked 42 people and arrested 9 persons after busting an illegal Christian conversion racket. The police on Friday (December 1) informed that they have also seized laptops, Christian literature and propaganda materials from the possession of the arrested accused. Reports say that 12 people have also been taken into police custody for questioning.
The matter pertains to the Chopan Police Station wherein the accused Christian proselytisers were organising ‘Changai Sabha’ (‘Changai’ means supposedly curing ailing people through prayers recited by a pastor) in the village to lure the local tribals into converting to Christianity in the name of curing their illness. Moreover, the accused were offering money and goods to the non-Christians to become Christians.
On Thursday, an FIR was filed under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act against 42 people based on the complaint lodged by a Malahiya Tola resident Narsingh Tripathi. Reports say that the Bajrang Dal state coordinator had submitted a letter to the police informing them about the Christian missionary’s conversion racket and attached a list of the 42 persons involved. Additional Superintendent of Police Kalu Singh informed that the police raided one such Changai Sabha and uncovered a conversion racket operating in the name of healing poor and desperate people of their illnesses. Subsequently, nine of the accused were arrested.
Additional SP Kalu Singh said that the police have confiscated audio tapes, compact discs, 6 mobiles, 3 ATM cards, Aadhar cards, Bible and propaganda material related to Christianity. ASP Singh added that the action has been initiated against the 9 arrested accused and they will be presented before the court.
The arrested accused have been identified as Jaiprabhu, Ajay Kumar, Chekka Emmanuel, Rajendra Kol, Chhotu alias Ranjan, Parmanand, Sohan, Prem Nath Prajapati, and Ram Pratap.