Lucknow: Eight persons were arrested for forcing villagers to embrace Christianity in the Murtiha area of Bahraich on Friday. In the last one week 35 persons have been arrested for converting villagers to Christianity in Bahraich.
Complainant in this case Sandeep Singh, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker, alleged that he had lodged similar complaints against the accused in the past also. In an FIR he alleged that on July 13 he was informed by locals that in Lal Bhoja gram sabha some villagers were forced to embrace Christianity. “I immediately rushed to the spot along with my friends. On reaching there we found that some persons were criticising Hindu gods and goddesses. When I confronted them, they started abusing me. They also attacked my friends,” Singh said, adding that later when he informed the police they all fled from the spot.
A police team reached the spot and arrested Radheshyam Diwakar, Bhola, Prakash, Brijmohan, Magtu Vishwakarm, Rajesh Vishwakarma, Umesh Yadav and Rajesh Nishad.
Superintendent of police, Bahraich, Prashant Kumar said that a case was registered under IPC Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings by insulting a religion or religious beliefs) and Section 298 (uttering words to wound religious feelings of others). He said that all the eight were penalised for breach of peace because the sections of the FIR do not entail arrest.
One Deepanshu Srivastava of Bajrang Dal was attacked allegedly by pastor Anil and his aides Rohit and Ram Narayan on July 12 because he had lodged a complaint against them for illegal conversions. Twenty four people were arrested in Bahraich on July 10 for illegal conversions at Siddanpurvwa village in Nanpara.
