On Monday, August 5, a Christian missionary were caught converting several people in the Baheri police station area of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district. Ishwari Prasad, a pastor was brainwashing a group of people, including men, women and children. Prasad was preaching to Hindus about the virtues of the Bible and insulting Ramcharitmanas in an attempt to win them over. However, Hindu organisations alerted authorities as soon as they learned about it after which the latter reached the spot and nabbed the accused pastor.
The pastor hosted a prayer meeting at his house every Sunday, invited locals and told them that Christianity is the true religion while claiming that there are many evils in Sanatan Dharma. The cops raided the house where poor villagers were being indoctrinated. Hindu outfits asserted that the people were being forcefully converted by offering them money. Police recovered books, Bible and other Christian texts from the place. The offender also maintained a box that was used to collect donations from the public. Many children and women were also found inside the house.
The organisers remained quiet when the authorities questioned them regarding permission to hold the religious assembly. They responded that it was a Christian event and that materials relevant to it had been provided when the police inquired about the same. The latter asked about the religions of the attendees who revealed that they were Hindus. North Superintendent of Police (SP) Mukesh Chandra Mishra said that a First Information Report has been registered on the complaint of Bajrang Dal workers and further legal action would be taken after investigating every aspect.
Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had alerted the cops that every Sunday innocent people were being manipulated into embracing Christianity under the guise of financial benefits in the name of prayer meetings, worship of God and similar activities. According to Bareilly police, action has been taken in light of reports that certain individuals organising a religious program without authorisation and trying to convert others to Christianity in a residence in Jaju Nagar.
The pastor was immediately arrested and brought to the police station. He disclosed that he became in Christian in 2004 and has been propagating the religion ever since. The people drove him out of the neighbourhood after his conversion, following which he worked and resided in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, for a while. He started his religious sessions in Baheri after building a residence there last year. Furthermore, he unveiled that he received money from a Christian missionary group.
Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh of Baheri Circle mentioned that a man by the name of Netrapal Singh contacted the police station that a man by the name of Ishwari Prasad was converting people by telling them bad things about one religion and good things about another. Ishwari Prasad was then taken into custody by the police when they arrived at the location. The matter is now under investigation.
A similar incident transpired recently in the Prem Nagar area after which the police had registered a case of religious conversion against the accused pastor and sent him to jail. The District Magistrate (DM) has ordered an inquiry into the matter. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) also formed a team that is probing such cases. The police also executed a raid in the Izzat Nagar police station area and arrested the pastor. A detailed probe is being conducted.
