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In yet another shocking incident of illegal conversion reported from Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, the local police filed an FIR against two people for promoting conversion through the means of inducement and lure on Wednesday, January 03, 2024.
According to the reports, a gathering was called in a house in Vaakna village of Gatlakhedi panchayat under Segaon block of Khargone district, where several outsiders had arrived to promote conversion. Upon receiving the information about the gathering, workers of Hindu organisations then arrived at the spot and caught the missionaries red-handed.
Later on, a police team also arrived on the spot and took along some people for an inquiry into the matter, following which an FIR has been filed against as many as two accused in the Una police station.
Upon receiving information from the villagers about attempts at conversion in the Vakana village, a police team was immediately dispatched to the location. The team, after an initial inquiry, called a few people for further inquiry who have disclosed that the gathering was called on the occasion of the opening of the house and to do worship on the new year. The matter is being investigated, according to an official familiar with the development.
It’s been learned that on the basis of a complaint, an FIR against as many as two accused, identified as Satyam Nagar Gupta and Mayaram Mandloi, has been registered by the police under relevant sections of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2021.
Illegal conversion through means of inducement
It is worth mentioning here that reports pertaining to illegal conversion promoted by people associated with certain groups have been coming to the fore since long, where mostly the people residing in the remote regions across Bharat have been misled and converted through various illegal means by certain individuals or groups.
The modus operandi of these certain groups or individuals remains the same across the States where illegal conversion has been promoted through means such as the lure of jobs, the promise of cure from certain diseases and illnesses, and fallacies by citing irrelevant similarities between Christ and the local god or goddess.
Targeted groups or individuals
It is to be noted that most of the people who fall prey to the inducement of these groups are either from the economically marginalised section or from the tribal (Janjati/Vanvasi) community, which resides mostly in the remote regions of Bharat.
There are countless incidents where people from the targeted groups were first approached in the name of help of help according to the requirements of the victim, following which they were slowly pushed towards converting their religion.
Upon conversion, the converted are further motivated to attract more people from their community, including their friends and family members, leading to serious confrontation, as reported from separate regions of the country.
Demand of a stringent law and de-listing
It is worth mentioning here that the attempts at illegal conversion and the menace associated with it have also led to protests at various places where the local Hindu population has been seen demanding a stringent anti-conversion law.
Rising pressure from these protests has also inspired a few State governments to enact a stringent anti-conversion law as enforced in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Though, despite the stringent provisions of the law to deal with the issue of illegal conversion, there are reports that keep coming to the fore time and again.
Additionally, the Janjati community across Bharat in recent years has also been seen hitting the streets with a demand for a nationwide identification drive to remove those individuals who have embraced any other religion other than those originated in Bharat. The community across separate tribal-dominated regions has so far taken out protest marches more than 200 times in support of a nationwide de-listing exercise to deal with the ever-growing issue of conversion within the Janjati community.
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