Authorities in Uttar Pradesh made significant arrests on Monday in two separate districts, Varanasi and Mirzapur, in cases involving allegations of forced religious conversion and associated crimes. The arrests were made under the stringent Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.
Varanasi: Four Held for Alleged Luring to Christianity
In Varanasi, the action was initiated after office-bearers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alerted the Badagaon police. They alleged that certain individuals in Duniyapur village, located in the Harhua area, were actively luring economically disadvantaged families to adopt Christianity.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Gomati zone, Akash Patel, stated that following an investigation, the Badagaon police station registered a First Information Report (FIR). The case was filed under sections 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.
Subsequently, police teams arrested four men based on charges of illegal religious conversion. The arrests took place near the Kadipur Railway Station and the Madanpur canal culvert areas. The individuals taken into custody were identified as Mukesh (51), Krishna Kumar Maurya (38), Inosh Joseph (30), and Ravi Joseph (54).
Mirzapur: Youth Arrested for Harassment and Forced Conversion
In a parallel incident in Mirzapur district, police arrested a youth for allegedly sexually harassing a woman and then pressuring her to convert her religion. The arrest was made by officers from the Kachhwa police station.
The accused, identified as Aseem of Majhwan, was apprehended from Bhaisa Road, Kank Sarai. Mirzapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Somen Barma explained that Aseem came under police scrutiny after a formal complaint was lodged.
The FIR alleged that the accused first sexually harassed the complainant's daughter by making false promises of marriage. Subsequently, he began coercing her to change her religion, presumably to facilitate the marriage.
Legal Actions and Charges Filed
The police have invoked strong legal provisions in both cases. In the Mirzapur incident, the Kachhwa police registered a case under sections 75 and 87 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alongside section 3/5(1) of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act.
The arrests highlight the continued enforcement of the state's anti-conversion law, which mandates strict penalties for religious conversion carried out through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or fraudulent means. The separate cases in two districts underscore the vigilance of local authorities and community groups in reporting such allegations.
Investigations in both matters are ongoing as police work to gather further evidence and details surrounding the circumstances of the alleged offenses.
