E-Paper
Uttarakhand: District admin recommends SC certificate cancellation in conversion probe
The Udham Singh Nagar administration recommended cancelling an SC certificate after an inquiry confirmed conversion to Christianity.
The district administration in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar has recommended the cancellation of a Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate issued to a man after an inquiry found that he had converted to Christianity in Gadarpur, officials said.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Richa Singh said the action followed a complaint filed by Arvind Saini, a resident of Mazarshila village, in which he alleged that local resident Surendra Sagar was illegally constructing a church in the village and facilitating religious conversions among the local population.
Saini accused Sagar and Sunil Kashyap, a resident of Shastri Nagar in Dehradun, of allegedly converting people after luring them to church gatherings.
He also alleged that Rajan Kumar, a resident of Chakarpur Barkhera who belongs to the Scheduled Caste category, had converted to Christianity but continued to hold a valid SC certificate.
“An inquiry was ordered into the matter. The preliminary investigation revealed that an SC certificate was issued to Rajan Kumar by the office of the tehsildar, Gadarpur, on January 14, 2019. Verification confirmed that he had embraced Christianity,” Singh said.
She added that Kumar had created a social media account under the name “Rajan Masih” and had voluntarily admitted to having converted to Christianity.
Based on the inquiry report submitted by the revenue team, the case was referred to the district scrutiny committee for cancellation of the caste certificate. A recommendation was forwarded to the district magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar for cancelling the certificate in accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court of India and Clause 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which states that SC status ceases upon conversion to Christianity, Singh said.
The investigation also found that the land parcel in Mazarshila, where the church structure stands, is recorded under land category Class 1-C.
SDM Singh said that Sunil Kashyap had purchased the 250-square-metre plot for residential purposes without obtaining permission from the district administration, allegedly violating provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.
“In addition to a residential structure, a hall and a guest house have been constructed on the land to facilitate Christian prayer meetings. The premises are currently being used for religious gatherings, which constitutes a violation of restrictions under the Act,” Singh said.
Following complaints by local villagers and the reported violation of land-use conditions, the building was sealed and a notice regarding vesting of the land in the state government was affixed at the site under Section 167 of the Act.
“The hearing regarding the violation of the conditions governing the land purchase is currently underway. Further action will be taken after completion of the proceedings,” the SDM added.
