The news published by a local newspaper, claiming 30 Hindu families were converted with money and medicine. Even if there is no real evidence, the police have opened investigations. Sajan K George: "In view of the 2019 elections, every effort is aimed at polarizing voters".
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The police of Uttar Pradesh has opened an investigation into an alleged case of forced conversions to Christianity in three villages of the state. The news of the conversions was published by a local newspaper, which speaks of 30 Hindu families converted in the last three days by some missionaries. In reality it is a fake news. Peaking to AsiaNews Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), denounces "the hysteria built around this affair, which involves Hindu families converted to Christianity with the offer of money".
According to the local newspaper, conversions took place in the villages of Jhalawarpur, Nevada and Bijawal. The majority of converts would belong to the disadvantaged castes and would be convinced by the supply of money, medicine and medical care. The newspaper adds that the Khanpur police were alerted and started investigations. It also reports that the "converter" missionaries removed the statues of Hindu deities present in the homes of the families to replace them with images of Jesus and crucifixes.
Sajan K George comments: "In Uttar Pradesh an evil religious and sectarian division is taking place. In view of the 2019 elections, every effort is aimed at polarizing voters. The question of Ram Mandir [Ram temple in Ayodhya, ed] is exploited to mount nationalist sentiment and religious conversions are used to divide the majority against the vulnerable Christian minority. " The Christian leader complains that "intolerance and suspicion are creating problems of public order. Every day pastors are beaten and prayers interrupted. Unfortunately all this happens in secular India, where Christians are second-class citizens ".