Held prayer meetings, not conversions at Khar Gymkhana: Jemimah Rodrigues' father

MUMBAI: Jemimah Rodrigues' father Ivan Rodrigues on Friday denied allegations from a few members of the Khar Gymkhana that he was helping conduct 'religious conversion' ceremonies in the premises of the prestigious club.
The allegations eventually led to the termination of the India women's team batter's playing membership last Sunday.
Breaking his silence on the controversy finally, Ivan Rodrigues posted on Instagram: "The prayer meetings were open to all and were in no way ‘conversion meetings’ as is wrongly labelled in articles in the media."
In a detailed statement on the allegations, Ivan Rodrigues said, "In light of the recent and erroneous reports doing the rounds in the media, we would like to put on record a few facts."
Rodrigues then made it clear that he had followed the rules of Khar Gymkhana while booking the presidential hall of the club for "prayer meetings on multiple occasions".
"We had availed of the facilities at the Khar Gymkhana for the purpose of prayer meetings on multiple occasions, over a period of a year since April 2023. However, this was done in complete accordance with the procedures that Khar Gymkhana have in place, and in full knowledge of the office-bearers."
He also asserted that he "stopped conducting the prayer meetings" after being told to do so, thus "respecting the stance of the gymkhana." He clarified that his group cleared "the arrears once it was informed about the difference in arrears for members and guests."
"When we were told to stop conducting the prayer meetings, we respected the stance of the gymkhana and did so with immediate effect. When informed about the difference in rates for members and guests, we readily cleared the arrears."
"We are honest, law-abiding people, who are grateful that we can practice our faith without it being a cause of inconvenience to anyone else. To then be the subject of false claims and misinformation Is disheartening. We have and continue to wish only the best for everyone."
TOI had on Friday (October 25) reported that following the allegations, Khar Gymkhana president Vivek Devnani had apologised to the Bajrang Dal.