VARANASI: Three men were arrested in
Azamgarh on Monday allegedly for trying to convert a family to
Christianity
after a neighbour of this family refused their similar offer and raised objection. Villagers caught the trio when they were trying to flee and police were called.
Azamgarh SP
Sudhir Kumar Singh
told TOI on Tuesday, “Didarganj police arrested three men, namely Balchand Jaiswar of Jaunpur, Gopal Prajapati of Varanasi and
Niraj Kumar
of Azamgarh, after they had a brawl with the
complainant Ashok Kumar Yadav
who refused their offer to embrace Christianity."
In his complaint, Ashok Kumar Yadav of Kaitholi village under Didarganj police station alleged that Jaiswal, Prajapati and Kumar had arrived at the residence of his
neighbour Tribhuvan Yadav
and gave him lucrative offers for converting to Christianity.
Ashok added that when he went to Tribhuvan’s house to see what was going on, the three men asked him also to take part in their prayer and convert to their religion.
Yadav alleged that when he refused to take part in prayer and embrace Christianity, they started threatening him using abusive words leading to a brawl.
More villagers started gathering on hearing cries and commotion following which the three men sensed danger and tried to escape, police said. The villagers, however, foiled their bid and caught the three men and recovered a copy of Bible and literature on Christianity from them, the said.
SO Didarganj SK Singh said an FIR was lodged under sections 3/5 of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance 2020, 504 (intentional insult and provocation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC against the three and sent them to jail on Monday after producing them in court.