Pastor held for ‘forcible conversion’ in Lucknow

A police officer said that the four foreign nationals, all from Brazil, accompanying the pastor couple have not been named in the FIR.

The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested a Lucknow-based pastor after registering a case against him and his pastor wife for allegedly attempting to convert people to Christianity forcefully in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, officers said on Tuesday.

FIR was registered against the pastor couple, identified as David Asthana and Rohini Asthana, under provisions of The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, said Sitapur additional superintendent of police (South) NP Singh. (Representative Photo)

A first information report (FIR) was registered against the pastor couple, identified as David Asthana and Rohini Asthana, under provisions of The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, said Sitapur additional superintendent of police (South) NP Singh.

The case was registered on Monday based on a complaint filed the previous day by a resident of Sehbazpur village, alleging that the couple along with four foreign nationals participated in a “mass conversion event” in the village under Sadarpur police limits on Sunday, the senior officer said, adding that no case of conversion has come to light so far and that further investigation in the case was underway.

“The pastor, David Asthana, was arrested on Monday night after an FIR was registered against him and his wife Rohini Asthana for allegedly forcing people to convert to Christianity,” said Singh. “The pastor has not been arrested as she is ill.”

The officer further said that the four foreign nationals, all from Brazil, accompanying the pastor couple have not been named in the FIR. “However, process to deport them has been initiated after the couple failed to explain why they took the foreign nationals to a small village in Sitapur,” he added.

The Brazilian nationals have told the police that they visited India on a tourist visa and were visiting Sitapur district with the pastor couple from Lucknow, the officer said. “The foreign nationals have been kept under surveillance in Lucknow and will be soon sent back to their country,” Singh said, adding the tourists will be questioned further.

Another senior officer, requesting anonymity, said a police team reached the village after receiving a complaint from Naimish Gupta, a resident of Sehbazpur village, about mass conversion attempt. “The FIR was lodged on Gupta’s complaint, alleging the couple David and Rohini Asthana were trying to convert villagers to Christianity forcefully. It is yet to be established how the tourists came in touch with the couple,” the officer said.

The officer added that the accused participated in a congregation of over 200 people, who were allegedly called for mass conversion in the village on Sunday.