E-Paper
Two held for ‘forcing’ religious conversion in Gurdaspur
Amid a row over alleged forced conversions in Punjab, two self-professed pastors were arrested for forcing a Sikh family to embrace Christianity in Kalanaur town of Gurdaspur district
Amid a row over alleged forced conversions in Punjab, two self-professed pastors were arrested for forcing a Sikh family to embrace Christianity in Kalanaur town of Gurdaspur district on Sunday evening.
The accused are Balkar Masih and Jagtar Singh, both residents of Gurdaspur district. They were allegedly ‘forcing’ the complainant, Upkar Singh, a resident of Adliwala village in Amritsar district, to “join the fold of Christianity.”
The complainant, who works at a poultry farm in Kalanaur with other members of his family, said, “The accused would visit me at the poultry farm, and insist that I go to church. I refused, and told them not to visit me. However, they again came to me on Sunday evening, and asked me why I had not come. They also asked me to discard my faith and embrace Christianity,” the complainant said in the FIR.
When the accused approached the complainant on Sunday evening, members of Sikh organisations also gathered there and staged a protest. They took the accused to the police station where they were arrested.
A video of the incident was circulated on social media. In the clip, a member of a Sikh organisation could be heard saying, “This is clear proof of forced conversions. Genuine Christian spiritual leaders should take serious note of these ‘fake pastors’, and take measures to stop this practice (of forced religious conversions) to maintain communal harmony between the Sikhs and Christians.”
Kalanaur station house officer Manjit Singh said, “A case was registered under Section Section 295-A (hurting religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code.”
