Another shocking instance of mass religious conversion has emerged from Uttar Pradesh. However, the Yogi Government has been working tirelessly and taking appropriate action against forced religious conversions since coming into power in the State in 2017. To counter the cases of religious conversions, the Uttar Pradesh Government brought the Prohibition of Illegal Religious Conversion Act in November 2020 and within just two years (2020-2022) of the introduction of Act in the State, 291 cases have been registered in UP. Despite that the evangelists are making very possible way to lure vulnerable Hindus into forced conversion.
Recently, a case of mass religious conversions has been reported in UP’s Sitapur district, where a pastor named David Asthana and his wife were booked by the police on December 19, 2022. Police made important disclosure in the case.
According to police, the accused run NGO and have received funds from many countries.
Sitapur police on December 23, also arrested four aides of pastor David Asthana on charges of forcefully converting villagers to Christianity. A local court granted 14-day police custody remand to
David Asthana starting from December 24. During the probe, the Police has found that some locals were also assisted David in conversions and action will also be taken against them, as per police.
Foreign funding and connection
Sitapur police had booked David and his wife for visiting Sitapur along with some Brazilian tourists and forcing locals in the district for religious conversions.
On December 19, Police booked the couple based on a complaint filed by Naimish Gupta, a resident of Sehbazpur village. In the complaint, Gupta alleged that the couple and four foreign nationals, identified as Rivaldo Joses DaSilva, Magnolia Maro Laronzera, Gulheram Nasimento Edalgo, and Alexander D’Silva, participated in a mass conversion event in the village.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Narendra Pratap Singh said, “The ongoing investigation in the case has disclosed that David Asthana had infringed the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). He accepted huge funds from the United States, South Korea, Brazil, Kenya, and Argentina during 2014-15 and did not show any record of this to the authorities”.
The police have detected several lakh rupees in three bank accounts of David Asthana about which he failed to give proper reasons of the source of the money. The chartered account of the NGO run by David was also summoned in the matter. Police have also detected donations worth Rs 1 crore from 2018-19 to Davis’s NGO.
As per the police, David had visited South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil. Investigations have disclosed that donations from all the above people came to David’s account via e-gateway. It was facilitated through the Calvary Church in Chennai.
400 converted to Christianity in October this year
In the month of October, similar cases were also reported in Meerut where Christian missionaries allegedly converted vulnerable Hindus.
On October 28, Meerut police filed an FIR against nine accused under sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by many Dalit Hindus living in the Mangatapuram colony of Bhrampuri police station. The complainants alleged that some Christian evangelists residing in the same village had compelled as many as 400 of them to convert to Christianity.
In just two years, 507 accused have been arrested
Since the introduction of the Prohibition of Illegal Religious Conversion Act in Uttar Pradesh in the year 2020, within two years, over 507 accused have been arrested after the registration of 291 cases.
Out of 291 cases, 59 cases were identified regarding the conversion of minors. Victims of conversion in 150 of a total of 291 cases in their statements stated to the court that they had been forced to convert.
Looking at the seriousness of the issue, Narendra Modi-led Union Government is also planning to take appropriate steps to deal with the cases of forceful religious conversions. On November 28, 2022, the Government told Supreme Court that the right to freedom of religion does not include a fundamental right to “convert people to a particular religion” and added that will take appropriate actions to deal with it.
Admitting the cases of forced conversion as a very serious matter, the court stated, “The purpose of charity should not be conversion. Allurement is dangerous.” While hearing petitions against forced religious conversions on December 5, 2022, Supreme Court stated that “Every charity or good work is welcome, but the intention needs to be checked.”
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