The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday opposed any relief to Vinod Bihari Lal and Rajendra Bihari Lal, Director, administration and Vice-Chancellor respectively, of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Science (SHUATS) in Prayagraj who have been accused in the forceful mass conversion case. The Police said that the duo have been charged with a number of crimes, including the widespread illegal conversion of marginalised Hindu and Muslim society to Christianity through threats and coercion.
The Police said that the duo didn’t deserve any kind of relief and said that they received over Rs 34 crores from several foreign countries and used the money for illegal conversion. “During the course of Investigation it has been found that the since 2005 around Rs 34,44,54,855.00 has been received in the FCRA account of SHUATS from various countries including USA, Afghanistan, Japan, Libya Iraq, Germany, Canada, Guyana, Uganda, Ethopia, Bahrain, Netherlands, Phillipines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Australia, Nepal, Bhutan and Nigeria,” the police said.
According to a police affidavit, the money originates from foreign nations to SHUATS, where it is then sent to the “Yeshu Darbar Trust” and distributed in cash to the pastors of the participating churches as well as to the staff at Broadwell Hospital. The hospital then allegedly uses the money to convert marginalised Muslims and Hindus to Christianity illegally through coercion and fraud.
According to one of the witnesses’ statements, when he went to visit his relatives’ daughter at Sadar Hospital, he learned that she had been transferred to Mission Hospital, where they encountered Josh Prakash, a doctor who emphasised that he only worshipped Jesus and asked how many gods they worshipped. He was instructed to follow suit in order to receive wheat money and good health.
Additionally, it stated that during searches at a facility known as Word Vision, India Branch, Civil Lines, Fatehpur, particular brochures and documents were recovered that promoted the advantages of converting to Christianity as well as a list of objects used for enticing individuals.
“The pamphlets so found also mentioned that an amount of Rs. 35,000 will be given to people who get themselves converted to Christianity and further if someone induces other people to get converted to Christianity then they will get an extra bonus amount, furthermore, if someone becomes preacher of Christianity then will be provided a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 and if some person converts 5 to 10 people then will get extra bonus amount,” the affidavit filed by Circle Officer, Fatehpur, stated.
Earlier on March 3, the apex court had stayed the arrest of Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology And Sciences (SHUATS), Dr. Rajendra Bihari Lal in a case concerning attempt to convert people to Christianity. The decision was made after the Allahabad High Court on February 14 this year awarded temporary protection to Lal from coercive action in a case involving widespread religious conversion.
FIR was recently registered in January 2023 against eight officials of SHUATS including vice-chancellor and two pro-vice-chancellors for allegedly luring Hindus and forcing them to convert their religion to Christianity. The officials were booked under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020. Accused Dr. Rajendra Bihari Lal had pled that he was not named in the FIR. However, he was later implicated in subsequent stage on basis of statement given by two witnesses whom he alleged were ‘biased’ against him.
Case was first reported in January this year
The FIR in the case was filed based on the complaint registered by a University’s former student named Savendra Vikram Singh on January 20 this year. 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 as saying then.
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.
The FIR came months 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. Notably, 53 of these 56 are out on bail.
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 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. As reported earlier, 70 accounts of the university and the trust founded by Lal were seized and were being probed. Of the 70 bank accounts, four belong to the trust and the rest are that of the university.
Two old cases against SHAUTS also 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 accused have been charged 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.
