51-year-old man held for conversion bid in Bareilly

Bareilly (UP), Jul 10 (PTI) A 51-year-old man was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district for allegedly attempting to induce people to convert to Christianity and hurting religious sentiments, police said on Friday. The accused, identified as Prempal, a resident of Bhudasi village under the Sheeshgarh police station area, was produced before a court after his arrest by the Mirganj police and was remanded in judicial custody, Station House Officer Ravi Kumar Singh said. According to the SHO, a case was registered against Prempal under relevant provisions of the BNS and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act on a complaint lodged by a villager, Ankit. The complainant alleged that Prempal organised a gathering at the house of one Gajendra in Sainjna village on Thursday, where he allegedly offered inducements for religious conversion and made objectionable remarks about Hindu deities and the Hindu faith, hurting the religious sentiments of those present. Police said two teams were formed to trace the accused, who was arrested on Friday morning near the Nagariya Sadat railway crossing underpass while allegedly waiting for a vehicle. During questioning, Prempal allegedly told police that he was a preacher of Christianity and had organised the meeting in Sainjna village to persuade people to embrace Christianity, but none of those present agreed to convert. According to police, villagers also alleged that Prempal had been preaching Christianity and making objectionable remarks about other religions in Bhudasi and nearby villages for several years. Police said the allegations are being investigated. PTI COR CDN KSI KSI