In a significant crackdown, the Kanpur Dehat police have dismantled an alleged religious conversion racket operating in the Akbarpur area. The operation led to the arrest of three individuals accused of converting people from the Scheduled Castes by offering them various incentives.
Complaints Lead to Police Action
The police action was initiated after authorities received multiple complaints from residents of Akbarpur. The complaints alleged that mass conversions to Christianity were being carried out by luring individuals with valuables and money. Based on these serious allegations, a formal First Information Report (FIR) was registered on January 9 under the stringent UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
The FIR was filed following a specific complaint lodged by a local resident, Ram Bharose. This legal step set the stage for a swift investigation by the Kanpur Dehat police force.
Arrests Made and Accused Identified
A police team, investigating the case, moved quickly and apprehended the three accused on January 10. The arrests took place near the Nava Kanthi Society in Badhapur village, located within the Akbarpur region.
The police have identified the arrested individuals as:
- Daniel Sharad Singh, a resident of Jhansi.
- Hariom, also known as Hariom Tyagi, from Akbarpur.
- Savitri Sharma, from Akbarpur town.
Vocational Centre Used as a Front
During interrogation, the accused revealed details of their operation to the police. They reportedly confessed to running a vocational training centre named Navakanti Society in Badhapur. This society was registered in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Investigators believe the accused were using this vocational training centre as a cover for their alleged unlawful activities. Under the guise of this establishment, they are accused of preaching Christianity and converting people from the Scheduled Caste communities by offering them incentives.
The police are now delving deeper into the case. A major focus of the ongoing investigation is to uncover the full extent of the inter-state network behind this racket. Authorities are also probing possible links to foreign funding that may have been used to finance these alleged conversion activities.
This bust highlights the active enforcement of the state's anti-conversion law and marks a crucial step in addressing concerns raised by local communities regarding coercive religious conversion practices.
