In various districts of Uttar Pradesh, the police have busted Christian conversion rackets in recent times. Last week, the Uttar Pradesh police uncovered two separate conversion rackets in Amethi and Meerut. In both cases, the accused persons targeted Hindus with financial and other allurements. In September, five people were arrested from Sewa Nagar in Ghaziabad for converting Hindus to Christianity under the lure of providing jobs, money, education, marriage etc.
After receiving a tip-off about a group trying to convert some people to Christianity, police raided the house of Ravi Kumar who was arrested with Ashish Masih (33), Rohan, Deepak, and Modinagar church priest Gerald Mathews Masseya on 23rd September.
The matter was raised by Dharma Jagran Samanvay (DJS) activists who arrived at the house where the conversion activities were going on and found literature and other materials provoking conversion. The Hindu activists informed Nandgram police about it and the police action followed.
In this case, the complaint was lodged by DJS coordinator Naveen Singh who said, “The accused initially contacted people on the pretext of treating illnesses. Then they lured people with offers of jobs, school admissions for their children, and even marriage to convert them.”
Sharma informed that Ravi, who had converted to Christianity 2 years ago, is a government employee, while the Church priest Gerald Mathews is from a Missionary-run-educational institution, Ingraham school, which is popular in Ghaziabad.
Back then, the police had said that they were investigating the allegations that this same group was involved in the conversion of hundreds of people in Hapur and Delhi alongside Ghaziabad. The police had found that the accused persons were converting people through false promises of medical healing through miracles and by luring them through money.
The accused were booked under BNS sections 299 (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings) and 3(5) (common intention), along with the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024
On the 16th of December, journalist Swati Goel Sharma published a thread on X, wherein she divulged the findings of her ground investigation from the Sewa Nagar colony in Ghaziabad. In a video shared by Sharma, one of the accused Ravi was seen trying to defend himself by saying his government document is proof that he is still a Hindu and was not involved in conversion activities.
This week, I visited a colony in Ghaziabad where a conversion racket was being run in an all-Hindu area by a teacher from a local well-known missionary school with help of a government employee
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 16, 2024
Here’s what I found 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ugkWt3E6Yk
Sharma mentioned that she visited the house of one Jatav family and found that Ravi had converted to Christianity two years ago. Kajal, the wife of Ravi’s brother Akash told Sharma that such “Sabhas” were being organised twice or thrice in a week until the police raided the house and busted the conversion racket. “She said her family has not converted and that has been a source of confrontation between the two families,” Sharma reported.
-Gerald, the pastor who was leading the session, teaches at Ingraham Institute, a well-known school in Ghaziabad
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 16, 2024
-Ravi, as can be seen in this video, tried to defend himself saying his government document is proof that he is still Hindu and was not involved in conversions… pic.twitter.com/by7x9BdfeB
Speaking to Swati Goel Sharma, Kajal said, “The house would be filled by outsiders who made a lot of noise while pretending to be trapped by Jinns. We would fear for our safety and lock ourselves inside a room till the meeting went on. Whenever we objected, it would lead to confrontation. After my husband had left for work, the couple would target me for harassment. When I was eight-months pregnant last year, they hit me. I could have suffered a miscarriage”
Speaking about how accused Ravi came into contact with the Christian missionaries. Kajal and the locals said, “It started with a rumour that Ravi had been trapped by evil spirits. On the recommendation of his sister, who had already started attending such gatherings, Ravi too joined those healing sessions (Changai Sabhas). After a few months, he was made to believe he had become free of ‘evil spirits’.
I met Jai Kishen Pal, councillor from this ward, who is associated with the BJP
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 16, 2024
He said that activists had contacted him after getting a tip-off about the conversion sabha in that house. Pal, in turn, contacted Nandgram police. “People questioned us: how can a conversion… pic.twitter.com/TbFfq3glk5
Meanwhile, the neighbours said that after Ravi became free of supposed ‘evil spirits’, he offered his house for healing sessions to be led by Gerald in lieu of money.
Sharma also spoke to BJP councillor Jai Kishen Pal about the matter who said that Hindu activists had contacted him after getting a tip-off about the conversion Sabha in that house. Pal, in turn, contacted Nandgram police. “People questioned us: how can a conversion activity happen right under your nose? And they are right. Such activities are unacceptable.”
Walking in this colony, I found that last year, residents had protested and stopped a new church from being built for new converts from nearby bastis
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 16, 2024
It was also happening in an all-Hindu street. The property has since been sealed
Here is a view of the sealed property and the… pic.twitter.com/SV5wDTaRES
During her visit to the Sewa Nagar colony, Sharma learnt that last year, the locals had protested against the construction of a church in the Hindu majority area for new converts from nearby “bastis”. However, after the locals stopped the church construction, it has since been sealed.
I went to the bastis nearby and found several houses bearing the signs of ‘Jesus saves you’.
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) December 16, 2024
Such families said they were Hindus in government records but had turned to “Yeshu, the purest soul that ever lived” pic.twitter.com/aLLqClwOqQ
Swati reported that several houses had signs reading ‘Jesus saves you’ pasted on walls and gates. In government records, such families said they were Hindus but had turned to “Yeshu, the purest soul that ever lived.”
In March this year, similar incident was reported wherein Christian missionaries were accused of converting poor Hindus to Christianity deceitfully. The incident unfolded within the jurisdiction of the Kaushambi police station in Ghaziabad. Members of Hindu organizations filed a complaint at the police station, detailing that on Sunday, outsiders distributed pamphlets advocating Christianity among economically disadvantaged Hindu families in the Kaushambi area. These pamphlets urged everyone to assemble at a designated location. The investigation in the matter was taken over by UP STF.
