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Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Indian Express
No bail for Ghaziabad pastor, aide arrested for ‘religious conversion'
The Ghaziabad District Court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of a pastor and a Ghaziabad resident who were arrested for allegedly attempting to convert members of the Scheduled Caste by offering them inducements. Police had arrested two men, pastor Vinod Kunj Mohan (50) and Premchand Jatav (66), following a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal member Prabal Gupta on June 15. He had alleged that the pastor carried out religious conversions at Jatav's home. During Tuesday's hearing, Ghaziabad Additional Session Judge Rohit Aggarwal said that there is no relevant ground for releasing the pastor. 'Keeping in view all the facts and circumstances of the case and in the light of the gravity of the crime and various documentary and oral evidence collected during the investigation against the accused, Vinod Kunj Mohan, there is no relevant ground for releasing the applicant on bail,' read the order. 'Accordingly, the first bail application of the applicant is liable to be dismissed on merits,' it added. While rejecting Premchand's bail plea, too, the court said that there were no relevant grounds for his release. The two were booked under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (threats involving death), 352 (breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as well as under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. During the hearing, Mohan's lawyer had submitted before the court that his client had never converted anyone. 'There is no proof of his involvement, and the complainant, who is an active member of the Bajrang Dal, has falsely implicated him in the case,' he had told the court. 'The FIR is to gain political benefits,' he had added. The lawyer had further submitted that no recovery of any item was made from the place where the alleged conversions took place. 'When anyone is converted, writings and readings are involved… but nothing was found,' the petitioner had told the court. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Indian Express
Pastor, associate held: NHRC asks Ghaziabad DM to probe aide, says he availed SC benefits despite converting to Christianity
Days after the police acted on a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member and arrested a pastor and his associate for allegedly converting members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) to Christianity, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice directing the Ghaziabad district magistrate to conduct a thorough inquiry into the allegations against the associate, Premchand Jatav, and his family. 'The complainants alleged that Shri Premchand and his family, who were recently arrested by the Ghaziabad Police under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, have continued to hold Scheduled Caste (SC) status and avail SC-specific government benefits despite having converted to Christianity,' read the notice issued on Thursday. The two accused, Pastor Vinod Kunjumon (50) and Premchand Jatav (66), were arrested on June 15 following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member, Prabal Gupta. The NHRC bench, presided by Priyank Kanoongo, taking cognizance of the matter under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, directed the district magistrate to submit an action taken report within 15 days. 'The allegations made in the complaint prima facie seem to be serious violations of the human rights of the victim,' read the notice. It added, 'The complainants requested the NHRC to launch an inquiry, revoke fraudulent SC certificates in the case, and conduct a broader audit of similar instances…' When contacted, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Deepak Meena said the matter will be investigated. 'We have 15 days to submit a report. We will soon set up an inquiry into the matter,' he added. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Indian Express
Allegations of ‘religious conversion' against pastor, co-accused yet to be proved: Ghaziabad police
Nearly a week after the Ghaziabad police arrested a pastor and another man for allegedly attempting to convert members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) to Christianity by offering them inducements, the police Saturday said they were 'yet to find anyone to confirm the allegations'. The two accused, Pastor Vinod Kunjumon, 50, and Premchand Jatav, 66, were arrested on Sunday following a complaint by Bajrang Dal member Prabal Gupta. Preeti Garg, Station House Officer, Crossings Republik Police Station, said, 'We do not have anyone to confirm the allegations. We are also looking into what kind of inducements were being used for conversion. If it was just monetary or promising them of curing ailments.' According to the police, Pastor Kunjumon, who hails from Kerala and is currently a resident of Sahibabad, told them during the interrogation that he had only been conducting prayers at the house of another accused, Premchand Jatav, a resident of Rahul Vihar in Ghaziabad. The complainant, Prabal Gupta, a resident of Krishna Nagar Bagu in Ghaziabad, has alleged that Bajrang Dal workers informed him that Kunjumon and Jatav were converting people belonging to the SC category. 'When I reached Premchand's house with my workers, I saw them conducting a program for conversion. When my workers and I protested, they abused, threatened, and assaulted us,' he alleged in the FIR. Following the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (threats involving death), 352 (breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and a section of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
