FIR after man accuses 7 of illegal conversion

Time of India

4 days ago

Lucknow: Sitapur police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against seven persons after a man accused them of luring him to adopt Christianity by offering him money, house and marriage.
According to the complaint filed by Abhishek Kumar (23), a resident of Nakrahiya village, the incident took place on July 28.
Abhishek said when he was near Rampur Mathna, he was approached by three local men — Anant Ram and his sons Ramit and Shubhkaran — who told him that a pastor and his wife were conducting a prayer meeting nearby and could help him financially and arrange his marriage if he converted to Christianity.
Abhishek said he was taken to a large hall where 40-50 women and 20-25 men were seated.
Pastor Vinod Pal Singh of Lakhimpur Kheri, and his wife Jyoti were allegedly preaching Christianity and holding Bibles.
Abhishek alleged that they made him drink "blessed water" from a bottle and showed him the Bible while pressuring him to convert. He was promised a house, money in lakhs, and a good marriage in exchange.
Two more individuals — Sanjay Maurya and Patiram, both residents of Rampur Mathna — allegedly joined in pressuring Abhishek.
Sensing something suspicious, Abhishek stepped out of the hall and contacted local villagers and some members of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who alerted the local police.
A police team soon reached the spot and, in Abhishek's presence, recovered three Bibles, bottles of "healing water," oil, sweets, a dholak, and a khanjari (musical instrument)— all allegedly used in the conversion process.
A written complaint was then submitted to the police by Abhishek.