Uttar Pradesh: 7 booked for harassing family for religious conversion; 3 detained, more arrests to follow

The accused allegedly threatened the family to either do what was asked or leave the locality

December 29, 2022

Case of forced conversion and molestation in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district

After police booked seven persons for allegedly harassing a family of the Nishad community to undergo religious conversion in Uttar Pradesh‘s Balrampur district, 3 women have been arrested out of the 7 booked, and more arrests will follow soon.

The FIR was lodged against three women — Sahajadi, Moharma, and Sahiba — and four men Amirzade, Irfan, Sonu, and Afreed. An FIR has been lodged under various sections, including the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, against the seven accused.

The police said that the accused threatened the family to either do what was asked or leave the locality. A police official said the incident took place at the minority-dominated Jafrabad locality where a family of one Deepa Nishad, the complainant, lives.

Balrampur Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Saxena said the three women had been arrested and more arrests will follow as the matter was being investigated.

The complainant said the seven persons often pressured her to sell her house situated in the Muslim-dominated locality. The neighbors also allegedly threatened to kill her and her family.

Another police official said the complainant further alleged that the three arrested women had once barged inside her house and spit on the temple set up by the family in May, an incident that she had video recorded.

He said the police took action against the offenders after she released the video. He added the offenders were booked under charges of religious conversion and desecration of the temple.

The police official said there might have been a dispute over a drain after which the issue escalated. He added similar confrontation between them took place on December 20 that ended in stone pelting. The police had then interfered and the matter was sorted with mutual consent, he added.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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