On January 27, Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against eight officials of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences (SHUATS) and several unidentified persons in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh for allegedly luring Hindus and forcing them to convert their religion to Christianity. The case has been filed against the vice-chancellor, two pro-vice-chancellors, and 5 others under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.
According to the reports, the FIR was filed based on the complaint registered by a University’s former student named Savendra Vikram Singh on January 20. The complainant stated that he was told that in exchange for converting to Christianity, he can have a job, Rs 15 thousand in cash, and ‘marriage to a beautiful girl’ in Fatehpur.
Savendra Vikram Singh is a resident of Bahauddinpur village in the Gosainganj area of Sultanpur district and visited Fatehpur in December 2021. There he met Ram Chandra Paswan, a resident of Sujarahi village who asked him to convert his religion to Christianity. “He told me we and our organisation will give you cash and your family will get free medical treatment. I was told that I would be given a job in SHUATS, Prayagraj, and I would get married to a beautiful girl. I got trapped and Ram Chandra took me to the Indian Presbyterian Church in Deviganj where I was made to meet the pastor. Both (pastor and Ram Chandra) then promised me gifts and money and took me to SHUATS,” Singh said.
According to Singh, he then met university Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, director (internal quality assurance and assessment cell) Ajai Lawrence, public relations officer Ramakant Dubey, Pro Vice-Chancellor (academics) Jonathan Lal, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Administration) S.B. Lal, dean (film and mass communication) Stephen Das, senior professor Derrick Denis, and around 40-50 other people who promised him cash, a job at SHUATS and a beautiful wife.
“Ajai Lawrence gave me Rs 15,000 in cash and Rajendra B. Lal told me that their organization has a lot of money and they would give me more if required. Then, I returned to Deviganj church with Ram Chandra and the pastor and converted to Christianity,” Singh was quoted by the Print.
Notably, Paswan who asked Singh to convert his religion in Fatehpur was arrested by the cops in July last year for running ‘changayi sabha’ and falsely promising ‘healing from illness’ to locals if they convert to Christianity. He also offered to get rid of bad spirits through prayers to Jesus and offered painkillers mixed ‘special water’ to visitors.
University officials already booked in another conversion case
The FIR comes almost a month after the Uttar Pradesh Police had sent notices to the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and an administrative official of a Prayagraj-based agriculture university in connection with a case of illegal conversion. An FIR was lodged against 56 people for practising religious conversion. Reports mention that while 53 out of 56 are out on bail, three of the accused are absconding at present.
The notices back then were issued to Chancellor Dr Jetti Oliver, Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal and administrative official Vinod B Lal of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS), an agriculture university in Uttar Pradesh that was set up more than a century ago.
Police have seized 70 bank accounts of University and NGO founded by V-C
Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal is the founder of an NGO named Yeshu Darbar Trust which holds religious congregations in around 12 of its centers in Prayagraj and other cities of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jharkhand. According to SHO Amit Mishra of Kotwali Police station in Fatehpur, 70 accounts of the university and the trust founded by Lal are seized and are being probed.
“Of the 70 bank accounts, four belong to the trust and the rest are that of the university. The Trust has 12 centres across three states, UP, Jharkhand and Gujarat. An FIR was earlier lodged against people associated with the Gujarat centre years ago,” he said.
The University on the other hand has denied the allegations saying that complainant Singh was a University student but he never cleared his exams. “He was former B. Tech (dairy technology) student but he did not pay the fees and also failed to appear for the exams. He later came to the university and asked for his degree, saying he wasn’t getting a job anywhere, but the request was denied. Now, when an issue is being raised in Fatehpur, he has lodged an FIR. He has alleged that he arrived at the university on 25 December 2021, but it was during the Covid pandemic. Both the university and Yeshu Darbar were closed. He has alleged Lawrence gave him Rs 15,000 but the latter was out of the station that day,” SHUATS PRO Ramakant Dubey justified.
Two old cases against SHAUTS reopened
Reports mention that while the Police are probing into the religious angle of the case, it has also reopened earlier two police cases filed against the University. One case filed by Rakesh Dwivedi in 2012, accuses the university’s top brass getting arm licenses illegally by submitting fake information about names and addresses. The other one says that the University has not been granted minority status by the government but it claims so.
In 2012, a case was filed against University Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, current registrar Robin L. Prasad and then registrar Ajai Lawrence under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record).
The FIR stated that the accused provided fake names and fake signatures despite holding government posts and took licenses for arms, revolver, rifle and double barreled gun from DM Pratapgarh. It stated that, despite having lived in Prayagraj since 1980, the defendants had shown their addresses to be in Sadar Bazar, Pratapgarh, while holding government positions.
The incident was investigated, and the investigating officer produced a final report (FR, a predecessor to the closure report) in March 2012 after concluding that the accused were not deficient under the sections implicated. Furthermore, the STF is investigating charges that the university did not get minority institution designation from the National Commission for Minority Education Institutions (NCMEI), the authority authorized to provide minority status to educational institutions.
Also on November 8, 2019, the UGC stated in an RTI response to Prayagraj-based Suvrat Kumar Singh, who had written to the UGC inquiring if SHUATS had minority institution status, that minority status is not awarded by it to an educational institution. Since the NCMEI grants minority status, the UGC submitted the inquiry to the commission, which responded on December 11, 2019, that it has not bestowed minority status certificates to SHUATS.
In the current given case, FIR has been lodged against eight university officials and 40-50 other unidentified persons executing illegal religious conversion of a man. The complaint has been filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections 3 and 5 (1) of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.
