Pastor, kin booked for ‘forced’ conversions

According to the police, the priest and his family were running a church from several years in Karatagi town of the district.Karatagi sub-inspector B Nagaraju said the family was allegedly targeting poor Dalit families and converting them to christianity under threat.

The police in Koppal district of Karnataka on Sunday booked a church pastor, his wife and minor son for allegedly carrying out forced religious conversions, and registered an additional case against the son for allegedly raping a minor girl.

The police in Koppal district booked a church pastor, his wife and minor son for allegedly carrying out forced religious conversions (HT Photo/Representative use)

According to the police, the priest and his family were running a church from several years in Karatagi town of the district.

Karatagi sub-inspector B Nagaraju said the family was allegedly targeting poor Dalit families and converting them to Christianity under threat.

One such convert, identified as Shankar, filed a complaint against the priest and his family on Saturday saying they converted him making false promises.

According to the complaint, the pastor advised Shankar’s family to throw away photos of Hindu deities and said that worshipping them was a sin, the sub-inspector said.

The pastor also issued threats to converted families to stop them from worshipping Hindu deities, the complaint added. Shankar also alleged that his wife and children were converted by the pastor through false promises, Nagaraju said.

“Two separate cases were registered in Karatagi. In the first case, the three were booked under anti-conversion law. The second case was registered under section 4,5 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012 against the minor accused,” Karatagi sub-inspector B Nagaraju said.

The family was booked under IPC sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 355 (Assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and section 5 of The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act.

The Karnataka government introduced the anti-conversion law retrospectively from May 17, 2022, when the state had promulgated an ordinance. The bill, provides for protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.

It proposes an imprisonment from three to five years with a fine of ₹25,000, while for violation of provisions with respect to minors, women, SC/ST, the offenders will face imprisonment from three to ten years and a fine of not less than ₹50,000.

The bill also makes provisions for the accused to pay up to ₹5 lakh as compensation to those who were made to convert, and with regards to cases of mass conversion there shall be a 3-10 year jail term and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.

The police further said that the minor accused has been sent to remand home and the investigation is on against pastor’s family regarding conversions.