A bunch of Christian missionaries was allegedly attacked on Friday in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district primarily based on allegations of pressured conversions, reported The Indian Categorical.
The incident befell as Pastor Lazarus Cornelius of Union Church in Mussoorie, alongside along with his spouse Sushma Cornelius, had reached Chibala village the place he was main the Christmas prayers. A bunch of over 30 individuals armed with sticks turned up on the venue alleging that pressured conversions have been being carried on the market, the police mentioned, reported the Hindustan Occasions.
“It was alleged by the locals, led by one Virendra Singh Rawat from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, that some outsiders have arrived within the Chhiwala village and they’re doing non secular conversions,” Purola station officer Komal Singh Rawat informed The Indian Categorical. “There additionally was some altercation between each teams. Primarily based on a criticism given by Virendra Singh Rawat, we’ve got registered an FIR in opposition to the pastor and others.”
Komal Singh Rawat mentioned that the police additionally registered one other FIR following criticism from the opposite facet, claiming that they have been concerned in worship when the locals arrived and assaulted them.
The FIR in opposition to the missionaries was registered below Sections 153 A (selling enmity between totally different teams on grounds of faith, race, fatherland, residence, language, and many others., and doing acts prejudicial to upkeep of concord), 323 (voluntarily inflicting damage) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to impress breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code together with Part 3/5 of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Faith Act, 2018, reported The Indian Categorical.
The police have booked the group led by Virendra Singh Rawat below Sections 147 (rioting), 153 A, 323, 504, 506 (prison intimidation), and 427 (mischief inflicting injury) of the Indian Penal Code.
In the meantime, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mentioned on Sunday that strict motion might be taken within the case, reported PTI.
“We introduced in a stronger anti-conversion laws solely to take stern motion in opposition to those that pressure non secular conversions by intimidating folks or luring them,” the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering chief mentioned.
In November, the BJP authorities in Uttarakhand elevated the jail time period below the anti-conversion legislation from 5 years to 10 years.
