On 8th February, Gautam Buddh Nagar police (Greater Noida) arrested four individuals for running illegal religious conversion activities in a residential basement in Sector 36 of the Beta-2 police station area. Local residents and Hindu organisations had objected to a prayer meeting (changai sabha) taking place inside the house. They informed the police, after which the action was taken.
Allegations of inducement and long-running activity
According to media reports, the police said that the gathering was being held in the basement of house number B-224 in Sector 36. Locals raised an alarm after learning that people were being assembled there regularly for Christian prayer meetings. Following the complaint, a police team reached the spot and found multiple individuals inside the basement. Religious books, crosses, candles and other material linked to Christian worship were recovered.
The preliminary investigation suggested that the prayer meetings might have been organised for several years. Residents said that people from nearby societies were being invited and encouraged to attend the prayer meetings. Inducements such as money, free medical treatment and support for children’s education were used to persuade attendees to adopt Christianity. Those arrested by the police include taxi driver Suresh Kumar, his wife, his sister-in-law, and another individual identified as Chandrakiran.
Protests by residents and Hindu groups
The matter escalated when local residents and members of Hindu organisations reached the spot and protested. They accused the organisers of running a conversion racket. Additional police force was deployed to alleviate the situation. Speaking to OpIndia, the District President of Hindu Yuva Vahini, Chainpal Pradhan, confirmed that an FIR has been registered in the matter.
He said, “Prayer meetings have been taking place at the house for around five years. After receiving information from local residents, we informed the police. When locals began protesting outside, the organisers attempted to flee but were stopped by residents. During the police raid, around 50 to 70 Hindu women and children were found inside the basement. The police recovered truckloads of religious books, crosses and other Christian material and arrested those involved.”
Speaking to the OpIndia, SHO Vinod Kumar confirmed that the four individuals were taken into custody for questioning and that the recovered religious material was being examined.
Police stated that further action will depend on the outcome of the inquiry and whether any provisions of law relating to unlawful religious conversion are found to have been violated.
Further investigation in the matter is underway.
