Raipur: Police on September 7 arrested 8 individuals for allegedly promoting conversion related activities and luring villagers into embracing Christianity.
According to reports, a Prarthana Sabha [prayer ceremony] was called at a private premise on Gunderdehi-Dhamtari road where 40-50 people from nearby areas were invited.
As per Hindu activists the gathering was aimed at luring people into changing their religion.
The activists staged a strong protest against the event by arriving on the spot. Later a police team also arrived at the premise and detained as many as 22 individuals including a pastor.
The Hindu activists alleged that attempts were being made to convert people at the event. They alleged that people belonging to marginalised sections are being cunningly led to conversion at such events, where the organisers promises them with financial aid and various other inducements
The activists have demanded strict punitive action against individuals, promoting such illegal activities.
The police later booked 8 individuals among the 22 people detained from the spot. They were subsequently sent into judicial custody.
In a related development, police on Sunday detained two individuals after locals accused them for promoting conversion related activities in Godhna village under the jurisdiction of Navagarh police station of Janjgir-Champa.
Meanwhile in another case reported from Bilaspur district, a woman has lodged a complaint against her husband for allegedly pressurising her for conversion.
The victim woman is a resident of civil lines of Bilaspur who approached the police on Sunday, accusing her husband for forcing her to convert.
The woman has alleged her husband for continuously pressurising her to do Christina prayers at home. The authorities after receiving the complaint have reportedly initiated an enquiry into the matter.
It is to be noted that cases of illegal conversion are keep surfacing from separate districts of the State, leading to altercations between local Hindu activists and missionaries promoting illegal conversion. A number of such cases have come to the fore in recent months alone, indicating about the growing menace of illegal conversion in the State.
